Van Aert explained that racing, rather than just training,
has been key to unlocking improvements in his form. The Belgian endured a stop-start
2024, riddled with injuries that prevented us from seeing him at his brilliant
best.
"We were also looking for that extra percentage that I
could get by racing instead of training and I think we succeeded."
Comparing his struggles in Jaén to his improved condition in
the Algarve, he acknowledged the stark contrast between the two performances.
"I really feel the difference with the Clásica Jaén
last Monday. I would almost say: a world of difference. The first race is
sometimes a shock to the system and in Jaén that was certainly the case with
the gravel. Let me ride the Tour of the Algarve first and Jaén two days later
and you would have had a much more realistic picture of how good I was. I am
convinced that I have made a step forward."
Van Aert recognised that his sprint is most effective in
tougher race conditions, which didn’t quite materialise at the Volta ao
Algarve.
"I know that my sprint is much more effective in
tougher races. Saturday was therefore my best chance on paper, but both the
course and the race conditions were easier than I had expected."
Competing against pure sprinters, he acknowledged the
difficulties of matching their speed.
"If I have to sprint against men like Meeus, De Lie,
Fretin or Dainese, it must have been either very tough or everything must go
well. I don't have the top speed of those pure sprinters."
Van Aert also reflected on his return to racing on the road following
his crash at the Vuelta a España last year, which ended his race whilst he let
both the sprint and mountains classifications.
"I also needed to throw myself back in and enjoy
it."