"I clearly took another step in 2022" - Wout van Aert

Wout van Aert has been voted to second place in the 2022 Velo d'Or and in a recent interview he has talked about his year which has included several ups and downs, but also important changes and experience which have led him to be able to perform at a higher level.

Van Aert learnt “that making choices worked. I clearly took another step in 2022," he said in an interview with Wielerflits. "One of the reasons I was able to make that progression is because we cut certain important races from my schedule. That is certainly a lesson for the future. I also found last season a good way to maintain my form in a longer period of competitions. Before, I was always good after a training camp, but I struggled to keep that shape for a longer period of time. We have now found a better balance.”

The Jumbo-Visma rider is one of the most versatile and consistent riders in the peloton, but he has however in past years not taken as many wins as he could've specially in the cobbled classics which are perhaps his preferred terrain. The sprints and time-trials also see him as one of the best in the world, but he has more often taken high-level wins in there.

2022 seemed to see the best of van Aert in the spring and he was the man to beat for the Tour des Flandres, which he had to miss eventually due to a Covid-19 infection. “I think so myself. For me, I achieved my best form ever in the spring classics in the week before the Tour of Flanders. Apart from that corona contamination, my preparation was perfect. Even after the corona infection, which meant I didn't touch the bike for a week, I still had excellent form for Paris-Roubaix and Liège-Bastogne-Liège," he commented.

Van Aert rode to second place at Paris-Roubaix and third at Liège-Bastogne-Liège. An impressive result, but not enough to satisfy the urge of a rider who seeks to win all monuments throughout his career, and who had dominated the spring until then together with Jumbo-Visma. “You can conclude from that that the basis from the winter was very good. I was finally able to make a difference in the last hour of the most important classics," he said.

"In previous years I had a bit of trouble with that longer distance above 250 kilometers. With the hard training and a few difficult choices in my program I have come this far. Those choices ultimately proved to be valuable. Unfortunately, luck was not entirely on my side," van Aert admitted. However he's thrived to win three stages and dominate the points classification at the Tour de France later in the year.

“I like to work with a well-structured plan. I think 2022 has proven that I can't plan everything, but with good planning I can come close to being in top condition at the right times. In the spring I reached my best level of recent springs, while in the Tour de France I reached my best level ever," he continued. "That's right. I think I can get through my workouts very dedicatedly and really hurt myself on certain training days."

"This way I can probably fine-tune my form even better than in competitions. Sometimes you come out of certain races just a little too tired and sometimes a race is not tough enough. For example, I think that I can improve my condition towards spring with a good week of training than if I were to ride the UAE Tour in that period.” Sure enough, he's planning to start his 2023 campaign at Strade Bianche, following the cyclocross World Championships and a stint of altitude training in the Canary Islands.

“I like being in control of my schedule and training. I have now proven several times that I come out of a training period very strong. As said before, I also think it is important that I have found a mode in the spring to maintain my good form for a long time. I won Omloop Het Nieuwsblad at the end of February, but was even better a month later in the E3 Saxo Bank Classic. And again a month later I was on the podium in Liège-Bastogne-Liège. It has been a process of several years for me to discover how I can keep my top shape in the spring for so long. I have definitely taken a step in that area," the 28-year old said.

Concluding, he responded to whether it is possible to focus on the cobbled classics whilst having the same level at Liège-Bastogne-Liège. The Belgian responded confidently: “Yes, but then you have to skip competitions like E3 and Gent-Wevelgem. However, I believe that if you want to win the Tour of Flanders, it is of great value to ride the other cobbled classics in the run-up.”