Van Aert has clearly proven his capabilities in three-week stage races over the years. At the 2021 Tour de France for example, he even won a sprint stage, a mountain stage and an individual time-trial stage in the same edition of the race.
As we have seen in the past, the likes of
Sean Kelly (Vuelta a Espana winner in 1988) has proven that the all-round riders that can sprint, punch, time-trial and climb relatively well can transition into Grand Tour challengers. With support from the all-conquering Jumbo-Visma team, it doesn't seem farfetched that Wout van Aert could win the Maglia Rosa.
