"I hope to be able to fight for a stage victory, both the time trial and the two hard stages" - Wout van Aert on his goals for the Volta ao Algarve

With a varied selection of stages, including several opportunities for the sprinters, an individual time trial and two mountaintop finishes, the Volta ao Algarve looks like the perfect race for Wout van Aert. However, the Belgian rider has a different objective in mind, as he is not interested in challenging for the overall victory.

Speaking to Het Nieuwsblad, Van Aert shared his ambitions for the Portuguese stage race, stating that "I hope to be able to fight for a stage win. I'm talking about both the time trial and the two most demanding stages, the ones that include the Alto da Fóia and the Alto do Malhão," he said. "I want to give my best, but there are quite a few climbers at the start. Still, I hope I can get close to a first victory, but we'll see".

The Team Visma | Lease a Bike rider is clear about his goal, although he also recognises the strength of the competition around him. "Of course I'll go all out, but I'm here to improve. I'm not looking for an overall classification. The time trial is too crucial for that and I'm not ready yet. I prefer to select my days," he said.

Van Aert hopes to continue fine-tuning his form over the next few days, although he will not reach his peak form for another five to six weeks. The rider is fully committed to this year's Classics campaign, with the Ronde van Vlaanderen and Paris-Roubaix acting as his main objectives once again. According to his coach Mathieu Heijboer, "he has been able to complete all the training sessions as planned."

"He's where we expected him to be at this point. His victory at the Benidorm World Cup has given him a good mental boost. It's certainly been a boost," Heijboer added. "If everything goes well in the Algarve, he will be competitive for the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. For that, his base level is more than enough, but really at his best level, so we don't expect him until he comes back from his altitude training on Teide".