“Little be gained” – Should Wout van Aert leave the Giro d’Italia early?

Wout van Aert’s 2025 Giro d’Italia campaign began in frustration, much as his classics season had ended. His legs were lacking, his form elusive, and questions swirled about whether he should even be at the race. Once again, he looked a shadow of his former self.

But a breakthrough stage 9 win on the white gravel roads of Siena, reminiscent of Strade Bianche, shifted the narrative. Van Aert had his victory. His Giro can now be considered a success, regardless how week three pans out.

Now, as stage 16 ushers in the brutal final week in the mountains, debate is growing once more. This time, the question isn’t whether van Aert can find his form, it’s whether he should even finish the race.

Jan Bakelants, speaking on the Wuyts & Vlaeminck podcast, didn’t mince words. “His season is very busy and he already has his stage in this Giro in the bag,” he said. “On paper I don’t expect to see the climber Wout van Aert like we did in the Tour earlier. We have to dare to call a spade a spade: there is little for him to gain in this Giro.”

The timing is key. The Tour de France is just over a month away, and van Aert remains one of Team Visma | Lease a Bike’s most valuable weapons. Whether as a stage hunter, breakaway master, or climbing lieutenant, he is central to their ambitions. But if the Giro’s final week only offers diminishing returns and drained reserves, the risk of continuing may outweigh the reward.

“It has not been the easiest Giro, partly because of that illness,” Bakelants continued. “He did recover tremendously in the Strade Bianche stage, but there is still some work to be done towards July and the Tour. Then I would choose to keep that positive momentum and not to go too deep into the reserves so that he can build up faster.”

Illness disrupted van Aert’s spring, leaving a gap between the cobbled classics and the Giro. That gap, Bakelants argues, was a missed window for foundational training, meaning van Aert came into the Giro not just to compete, but to rebuild his form.

“Because he got sick between the classics and the Giro, this was actually not a good training period,” Bakelants explained. “His base has not been worked on and that is why I think he would benefit from an extra week of building up and a bit more rest.”