Wout van Aert may ride the Giro in 2024, with ambitions for the classification. But is that such a good idea?
Wout van Aert announced his limited cross program and told a Colombian journalist that he is aiming for the Giro in 2024. Jonas Vingegaard also said in an interview that Van Aert may ride the Giro instead of the Tour.
A classification would be the goal, but what about the classics such as the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. Thijs Zonneveld fears that Van Aert may want to make the transition to a classification rider too early.
Giro at the expense of classics?
“I always thought that that option was only available once he had checked off the Tour, Roubaix and/or the World Cup. Those boxes are not there,” he says. In the Wheel. “But you simply cannot lose kilos and still be so explosive that you beat Van der Poel in the Tour.”
If Van Aert wants to go for a classification in the Giro, he still has to lose some kilos. But with Van Aert these may only be muscles. “Then you also develop less power. This is at the expense of his time trial, sprint and explosiveness on Flemish hills. This means you are deviating from the path he has set in recent years.”
