Visma manager Plugge unhappy with Bruyneel's speculation on Wout van Aert's Giro presence: "I think very highly of Johan, but this is not true"

Johan Bruyneel has recently spoken in an interview regarding Wout van Aert's presence at the Giro d'Italia and how it may have been influenced by last year's absence and a potential deal with the race organizers. Richard Plugge, CEO of Team Visma | Lease a Bike, did not let such a comment pass and has called out Bruyneel for it.

Van Aert was supposed to have made his Giro d'Italia debut in 2024, however his brutal crash at Dwars door Vlaanderen not only meant that the Belgian had to miss the cobbled monuments, but also that he could not participate in the Corsa Rosa - and instead went on to race the Tour de France and Vuelta a España. Now back to good health in 2025, he is following the plan that he had drawn the year before. But Bruyneel believes that there may have been a deal to fulfill with the race and that this was the main reason why he's made the trip to Albania.

Richard Plugge, manager of the team, was asked about this and immediately shut down the rumour: "I think very highly of Johan, but this is not true," Plugge said as reported by In de Leiderstrui. "The health of a rider is the only parameter we take into account when allowing a rider to start. If a rider is too ill or has a fever, he does not start".

Van Aert did fall ill before the Giro but has recovered enough to be able to train a bit before the race and be able to carry enough form to survive the pace of the peloton on the final climb of the opening stage - whilst serious GC contenders such as Derek Gee and Thymen Arensman did not manage to do so whilst Simon Yates' GC aspirations have benefited from the first day.