Wout van Aert chooses Road Race over Time-trial at World championships, Vanthourenhout confirms

Wout van Aert is one of the most versatile riders in the peloton currently, and the winner of the final time-trial at the Tour de France. Nevertheless, he will not be present in the time-trial World championships, as he is set to fully focus on the road race.

In an interview with Het Laatste Nieuws, Belgium's team coach Sven Vanthourenhout has confirmed the absence of one of it's best time-trialists: "On the one hand it is a shame, because with Van Aert at the start you have a great chance of a medal, but on the other hand I understand the decision. Such a time trial is a heavy burden, and I understand that Wout wanted to make choices."

Having finished runner-up to Filippo Ganna on both occasions over the last two years, Vanthourenhout talked about the pressure on the Belgian's shoulders. "It's a mental issue. When Wout starts in the time trial, he takes a lot of pressure on his shoulders, because for a rider like him only the very highest is good enough," he explained. "For someone else, a silver medal can be fantastic, but not for him".

And with a specific goal in mind, the rainbow stripes in the road race, van Aert has made the decision to skip the time-trial event. “Last year, Wout walked around with a heavy feeling for a few days after the time trial — that silver played in his head. It could be another such scenario in Australia. That would be at the expense of his road trip.”

With a route that suits him very well in Wollongong with the combination of hills and the flat finish, the chances of netting the World championships are as good as any other rider. Van Aert is currently recovering after a fatiguing Tour de France and several post-Tour criteriums, and he will be back to competition soon to build on his attack at the Australian race.