Simon Yates may have taken home the Maglia Rosa at the 2025
Giro d’Italia, but inside the Team Visma | Lease a Bike camp, there’s no doubt
that Wout van Aert’s contribution was just as vital to the team’s success.
According to the team’s head of performance, Mathieu Heijboer, van Aert
delivered the strongest hour of his entire career on the decisive climb of the
Colle delle Finestre to help secure Yates’ victory.
Speaking to Cycling Weekly, Heijboer described van
Aert’s ride on Stage 20 as unprecedented, even by the Belgian’s standards. This shows, that the Belgian is definitely approaching his best form again.
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“Wout van Aert did a one hour career best performance
actually,” Heijboer revealed. “He never rode faster for one hour than on the
Finestre. He did all of that to make it over the top so he could support Simon
in the last 15 kilometres and I think that says it all.”
Van Aert had been part of the day’s breakaway, and after
cresting the summit of the Finestre, waited for Yates before towing him through
the valley roads to Sestriere. It was a selfless, tactically brilliant move,
one that showed the team's unity once again, after a difficult spring.
“That togetherness and shared commitment, shared goal, is
something we create in the preparation for the race and that has really paid
off for us, especially in the last stage,” Heijboer added.
Van Aert’s ride was even compared favourably to his landmark
performances at the Tour de France in 2022 and 2023, where he was pivotal in
Jonas Vingegaard’s yellow jersey victories. Yet here, on Italian soil, his
support role was arguably even more critical.
The team’s cohesive strategy was evident throughout the
Giro. Heijboer praised not only Yates’ climbing but also the overall group
effort across different stages.
“Simon did a super good climb on the Finestre,” Heijboer
said, “but when you look at the Giro as a whole, I think as a team we really
brought him in every time into a good position and he profited a lot from our
other goals, like sprinting with Olav Kooij.”
He also acknowledged the mix of preparation and fortune that
helped keep the team in control throughout three unpredictable weeks. “We
couldn’t complain about the luck we had in the stage to Slovenia when a lot of
guys crashed, but it was the quality of our group as a team that kept us in
front.”
Fin MajorCycling Journalist
Fin Major is a UK-based writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2024. He is the site’s main writer for FAQs and evergreen explainers and has written around 2,000 pieces for the platform. Alongside this work, he focuses on in-depth analysis and covers the biggest races on the calendar, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, providing clear context around performance trends, tactics, and key storylines.
In his reporting, Fin uses reputable data sources such as ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. Outside of writing, Fin is an active cyclist, which supports his practical understanding of the sport and its demands.
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- wtf dudemij07-11-2026
- big rival … ridiculous.Ketterechts07-11-2026
- It would be great if the World Champion's jersey could be rotated among McNulty, Simmons, and Jorgenson. They threaded the needle perfectly. If each hadn't done exactly what he did, exactly when he did it, the race would have gone to one of the more heralded superstars. That said, how nice that this humble and hardworking guy gets his moment in the sun.
MarkFour07-11-2026 - This is a really interesting idea, which, if well prepared could even be very successful. Very little money needs to be involved for a first season and any success could lead to rapid interest from sponsors.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Hmmm, you seem to have a very convenient black and white view of things. Perhaps you haven’t been around much to discover how complex problems can become over time with people who know how to control, manipulate (or worse) others so gradually or subtly that you arrive at an irresolvable situation before you realise. This is how many inconveniences get introduced to the young, naïve, passionate or “desperate”, knowing they are not armed, protected or strong enough to defend themselves once it’s too late. Why do you think omerta culture is so widespread, why do you think so many people continue to go through so many awful things in life that others can’t understand anyone getting into? Life may be far more jolly for you but you would do well to understand (or reflect more on) the real world to refrain from being so quick to criticise those in a hard spot that may have genuine reason for speaking out.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Seriously do you think when somebody gets into a serious accident, the ambulance is called by the hurt person?🤦 there is always a buddy system in place for a risky job. police , firefighters etc so that if someone gets hurt, the other call that in.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I get the point totally. We live in the snowflake society where some riders forget they are getting paid to ride and get results. When they have a few issues they try to look outside of the real issue instead of themselves. It odd so many of the team are making no complaints and getting on with their job. If you do not like what you do find another job simples. Tough love as my mum would say.paultryan200207-11-2026
- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
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