"You can just tell that he’s starting to feel better. He's more cheerful" - Visma positive about remainder of Wout van Aert's Giro d'Italia

Wout van Aert has struggled to produce his best form so at the 2025 Giro d'Italia, having initally entered his debut at the Italian Grand Tour already on the back foot following a pre-race illness. A third of the way through though, and with 7 stages in his legs, Team Visma | Lease a Bike are positive Van Aert's better days are coming.

“Yes, he's allowed to join the breakaway today,” explained Team Visma | Lease a Bike's sports director Marc Reef in a pre-stage interview with Sporza ahead of the 8th stage of the 2025 Giro d'Italia this Saturday afternoon. "The start of the stage is perfectly suited for a scenario where a lot of riders will try to get into the break. I don’t know how big it will be, but I’m expecting a sizeable group. We also have several riders ready to take their chance."

As mentioned though, Reef is insistent that Van Aert is getting back to his best with every day that passes. "Aside from the numbers, you can just tell that he’s starting to feel better. He’s struggling less in the race itself, seems more cheerful, and is speaking more on the radio," Reef details. "All signs that things are heading in the right direction," the DS concludes with hope.