Il Lombardia "definitely an option this year" for Wout van Aert

Wout van Aert is currently racing the cyclocross season where he seems to be the man to beat for the World Championships. Many goals still lie ahead for the road season, however the Jumbo-Visma rider talked about a possible Il Lombardia debut.

"The Giro di Lombarida is definitely an option this year," van Aert told Wielerrevue. "If I want to be successful there, I need specific preparation with a training camp at altitude. And I noticed that it is difficult to make three peaks of form during the road season." The Italian monument is the only one van Aert has not raced until today, but that may change in 2023.

After the Hoogerheide World Championships van Aert will rest and take on an altitude training camp before eyeing the spring classics. The Tour des Flandres and Paris-Roubaix will be his main goals, with the Tour de France and World Championships taking place in quick succession in the summer.

"If everything is going well in the first two peaks, I would prefer to stick to a few races after the World Championships. Then I will keep some strength. After an intense period, it is still difficult to perform well on such a course," van Aert admits however.

"It's both in the physical and the mental. At the end of the Tour, we stayed away from home for about three months. Then having to resume a working rhythm at altitude is not easy. And if you don't feel like working at altitude, that won't work either," he concluded.

Lombardia comes on the 7th of October and is one of the final races of the season, two months after the World Championships. There is enough time to prepare properly for it, however only later in the year will it be clear if van Aert seeks a result there.