“It was a good warm-up for the rest of the week” - Wout van Aert plays down Tirreno-Adriatico time trial after finishing 59th

Wout van Aert insisted he had no intention of pushing for a top result in the opening time trial of Tirreno-Adriatico 2026 after finishing well down the standings on stage one in Lido di Camaiore.

The Team Visma | Lease a Bike star crossed the line 59th, 1 minute and 10 seconds down on the eventual stage winner Filippo Ganna, but explained afterwards that the effort was deliberately controlled. In fact, Van Aert even detailed his biggest upcoming target as he builds towards the stages later in the week.

“It was the plan to start in a relaxed way. It was a good warm-up for the rest of the week,” Van Aert said after the stage in quotes collected by Cycling Pro Net.

The 11.5-kilometre test along the Tuscan coast was won convincingly by Ganna ahead of his INEOS Grenadiers teammate Thymen Arensman, but Van Aert approached the day primarily as preparation for the road stages that follow rather than a genuine target for a result.

While the opening time trial rarely suits Van Aert’s strengths compared with the most powerful specialists in the discipline, several of the stages later in the race could offer opportunities for the Belgian to compete for victory.

The 31-year-old confirmed that he is already looking ahead to the coming days of the race. “There’s a nice stage waiting for us with a gravel sector near the finish. I’m really looking forward to that.”

With Tirreno-Adriatico now moving into its first road stage, Van Aert will hope the terrain in the coming days offers a better platform to challenge for a result after his controlled start to the race.

Van Aert’s refusal to go 'into the red' in Lido di Camaiore is a clear signal of his 2026 priority: the upcoming Monument season. While Ganna and Arensman fought for every millisecond, Van Aert used the 11.5km course as a high-intensity training block. By avoiding the extreme anaerobic strain of a winning TT effort, he remains 'fresher' for the punchy, 200km+ stages later this week where he can contest for wins against a field that may already be feeling the effects of today’s coastal gale.