"It will be a tough and difficult final" - Wout van Aert ready to test form at tough Tirreno-Adriatico finish

Wout van Aert has so far ridden a conservative Tirreno-Adriatico, riding fully in support of Jumbo-Visma, but today's stage may see the Belgian test himself for a result for the first time this season.

“It will be a tough and difficult final. An average increase of 7% is decent, but it seems to me to be climbing evenly," van Aert told reporters at the start of stage 4 this morning. "It will be a nice and tough sprint. The lightweights have an advantage, but it depends on how hard the local laps will be raced.”

In what is a three-lap circuit, the riders face the hilltop finish at Tortoreto which is 3.2 kilometers long at 6.9%. On his prime, van Aert would certainly be the man to beat in such a finish. Today however, with his form being worked on, Jumbo-Visma may opt for the likes of Primoz Roglic and Tiesj Benoot - among a very strong team of contenders.

“Winning is of course the best scenario, but it is anyway a stage that I want to go for, to see how far I can get. It will depend on the race conditions whether I can ride a result today,” van Aert concluded. Ahead of the spring classics, it will be an important test to see how high his fitness is.