"it's clear that Pogacar has his mind set on it" - Wout van Aert on Tadej Pogacar's second recon of Paris-Roubaix

Wout van Aert is one of the favourites for stage 4 of Tirreno-Adriatico, an interesting day which consists of many climbs of different lengths. It is certain to be an explosive day where the Team Visma | Lease a Bike rider is going to look out for his opportunities.

"I handled yesterday's stage well. It was a very long day, but not too difficult. Luckily, it wasn't freezing cold. Yes, I survived the stage well," Wout van Aert said to the microphone of Sporza this morning in Tagliacozzo.

It is a day with two long ascents early on, before the riders go back down to near sea level and tackle a few hilltops before the flat finish into Martinsicuro. The kind of open day where a breakaway would ordinarily succeed, but at the Tirreno-Adriatico peloton there are plenty ambitious riders who will be committed to having their teams chase.

"I don't plan on joining the breakaway early, but I'll have to keep an eye on things. This is the first stage where the breakaway won't just pull away." In the finale, the likes of Mathieu van der Poel and Isaac del Toro may be active on the punchy climbs; whilst the finale can be quite tactical if the peloton is small.

But it is an opportunity the Belgian may be able to take advantage of: "I had already looked at this stage at the beginning of the week, and this is a stage that should suit me. The finale is tough with a few climbs. That might be too difficult for some sprinters, and then we'll be on terrain that suits me."

Over the past few days, whilst Van Aert and van der Poel are racing Tirreno-Adriatico, their main rival for the cobbled classics Tadej Pogacar has been once again up north in the cobbled roads of Paris-Roubaix together with Florian Vermeersch.

Van Aert was asked about the Slovenian's trip, giving a remark on it: "It's pretty normal that they prepare well. We do too. But it's clear that Pogacar has his mind set on it."