"My goal is to stay out of trouble" - Wout van Aert dismisses Volta ao Algarve sprints, instead focus on climbing form and Remco Evenepoel
Cycling
Wout van Aert is today a star in the roads of Portugal. The Team Visma | Lease a Bike rider takes on his first stage-race of the season at the Volta ao Algarve, and takes aim to the difficult stages of the Portuguese race instead of the sprints
"Was of course disappointing result I felt good but the moment I had the mechanical the race was about to start so it was still question for me how I would feel in the final. I was more disappointed for that than the result itself of course also, but it was a race where I wanted to find out how good the legs are and I didn't came to that point," van Aert shared this morning with CyclingPro.net regarding the Clásica Jaén Paraiso Interior.
He was a big favourite for the Spanish race, but does not fear issues in the team's material ahead of the spring. "No because it was a big nail, it's just unlucky that I was the one who rode into it. There's no tire material strong enough to handle this kind of stuff..." Last April at Paris-Roubaix, he suffered a puncture as he attacked the race finale, and ever since the team has been keen on paying extra attention to preventing this sort of problems.
However in the Algarve van Aert finds smooth roads, where he will be able to test himself once again - this time around likely without mishaps. Two hilly stages and a time-trial lay ahead of the Belgian, who admits he will not target the sprint on stage 1: "No it's not my goal. My goal is to stay out of trouble and be ready for the harder stages."
"I think the hard stages are specially hard with the real GC guys like Remco and some guys from INEOS I believe. Will be hard there to really win but it's the best way to prepare myself for the classics to go and try it," he says. "That's why I will target these stages more than the flat stages."
Whether he will try to go for the overall classification or not is a decision internal to the Dutch team, signs point towards that being the case if he has the legs, but there is most likely no pressure to do that as of now.
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
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- Yes, so why not make comments less pointless?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - There really was nothing in it. Schreiber was so much faster, and Brand was fighting to stay in the wheel in the sprint. Schreiber did move a bit, but to say she closed the door doesn't make sense because Brand couldn't enter it anyway, abd she wasn't impeded.Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026
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- seems like we are advertising the website with pointless comments…Ketterechts08-11-2026
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