Wout van Aert: "In the spring I want to take the next step and try to win a monument"

Wout van Aert has opened up about his ambitions for the spring as he tackles his fourth season in the World Tour, the Jumbo-Visma rider is eyeing another monument to his palmares.

"In the spring I want to take the next step and try to win a monument. I have already won Milano-Sanremo, I specially hope for Tour des Flandres and Paris-Roubaix," Van Aert said in an interview with Sporza.

He added: "Of course we have been strenghtened. I think everyone can see that. We worked very hard this winter to be better as a group. We have already had many meetings about the spring and have trained a lot together."

"The majority of us are also here on the training camp in Tenerife," Van Aert said, as he is close to completing his third week on the Mount Teide volcano, one of the most typical altitude camp locations for the peloton. "The intention is that we will get to the final with more guys. That was sometimes different in the past. If you are isolated far from the finish, it is always harder to race."

After making a short yet very successful stint in the cyclocross circuit over the winter, the Belgian has redirected his focus and is now eyeing the spring classics. He is set to make his season debut at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad the next week, and from there on he'll tackle Paris-Nice, Milano-Sanremo and the cobbles classics including the two main goals, Tour des Flandres and Paris-Roubaix.