"I know I lost time in the corners" - 8th place in time trial keeps Wout Van Aert in contention for red jersey
CyclingSunday, 23 August 2026 at 01:00
Once a feared time trial specialist (who remains proficient in the discipline to this day), Wout Van Aert cannot be fully satisfied with his 8th place in the opening time trial of 2026 Vuelta a Espana. The course in Monaco has been quite unique while the distance (9.4 kilometers) played into the cards of many of Van Aert's rivals. And yet, the Visma | Lease a Bike rider certainly aimed closer to today's winner Tadej Pogacar with eyes set on his red jersey.
Tasting the F1 circuit was special
In his post-stage commentary, the Belgian admitted that, albeit beautiful, the unique course in Monaco was at times too technical to his liking.
"What did I think of the course? The surroundings were very unique; it was special to be able to ride here on those closed roads and the F1 circuit. I enjoyed that too. But at certain points it was too technical and a bit on the edge, for example because of the park and the marina."
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Still, the Belgian did not want to blame the slightly disappointing result on course designers. "No, it is absolutely no excuse. I am simply satisfied with my time trial, and I have to be. I gave it my all, but I know I lost time in the corners," he said. "I took slightly less risk there, but that is my own choice. My legs felt good, so once again: I am satisfied with this."
All eyes on red jersey
Currently 9 seconds behind Tadej Pogacar in general classifcation, Wout Van Aert will hope to move into race lead at the end of the second stage from Monaco to Manosque. The undulating profile will hopefully turn out too hard for purer sprinters and then it could come down to a duel with Mads Pedersen for the 10 bonification seconds. Or Tadej Pogacar completely flips the script.
Wout Van Aert at the finish of 2026 Vuelta a Espana stage 1
"I certainly wanted to finish within that margin," Van Aert added. "Of course, I started to fight for the win, but being close is also satisfying."
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses 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.
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- i’d like to see him get another roubaix, mayyyybee another msr or flanders (tough) and one more tdf stage, then move to mountain bike full time until he gets the world championship he wants so badly.OCexile22-08-2026
- @SLOMOU: I’ve always compared 2024 to Merckx’s year of 3 monuments and 2 tours, ‘72 I think or maybe ‘73, basically because I think of the worlds as a monument that keeps changing location. That’s not worth arguing about, honestly, because I can see it both ways. But this season? This is absurdly good, and nothing is stopping him so far. It’s a wonder to watch.RidesHills22-08-2026
- Was Pog towed by the motorbikes. They were bit closer than other riders. Food for thought .Pog fan but sad that Tarling was denied.paultryan200222-08-2026
- Objectively hes actually on pace to crush the best cycling season of all time..Im not a fan of him but its astonishing to see it really is i have to admit.miguel22-08-2026
- You're absolutely right in saying: If all this works out, we're watching the best cycling season ever. Pogi had the best cycling season in history in 2024, but this year he will surpass that if he wins the Vuelta, WC and Lombardy. I'm also not surprised, but proud and happy for my compatriot.PogiSloFans22-08-2026
- Another example on stage 3 that Visma isnt strong enough to controll anything. UAE with Del toro and pelizzari just played with Visma again. Same thing every race all yearmiguel22-08-2026
- Did I expect that? Of course I did, who didn't? But did I really expect that? No way in hell was that supposed to actually happen. Hayter rode an incredible time trial, and for a second time it's less than a second that it took for Pogačar to win a time trial. (He's now won a TT in every grand tour.) So am I surprised? Not really. 20 wins this season already? And the whole Vuelta still ahead of him? If all this works out, we're watching the best cycling season ever. He could end up with 4 monuments (and a 2nd on the 5th), 2 grand tours, and the worlds. Will I be surprised if he does? Not really.RidesHills22-08-2026
- Grischa left mid season, coaches left mid sesaon many riders left mid contact all these is nothing to aknowlegdge all these things are a matter of a fact. This TDF Visma was incredible weak too so easy to see and so bad for jonas all tour untill he crashes, im sorry but i doubt you watch much cycling if you cant aknowledge that visma is getting worse alot now. They cant keep up with rbh and lidl like the owner has said so if you cant aknowledge these things im sorry but your not worth talking much to as i dont think you watch that much cycling then hehe. Its just a matter of facts all these things i mentioned im sorry wish you all the bestmiguel22-08-2026
- hopefully they do cause they need something I think we can agree on that that the trend is not in their favour last years. Ballerini is decent my problem hes another sprinter doesnt really help jonas at all. But hopefully they can sign someone really good that would be good but i doubt they have the needs but lets see.miguel22-08-2026
- fingers crossed!Ketterechts22-08-2026
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