"In the end, Tadej kind of gets in his way": Ex-winner Aru advises Vingegaard ahead of the Vuelta

“It’s still very emotional for me, and this year the Vuelta even starts in Italy,” Aru told TuttoBiciWeb. “I’m a spokesman for the race, so I’ll be there at both the start and the finish. It’ll be exciting to see how the race develops and who ends up winning.”

Aru won the Vuelta in 2015 after finishing second in the Giro earlier that year. “After the Giro, I decided to pull out and start focusing on the Vuelta. I didn’t even ride the Italian national championships. I was already in full prep mode,” he recalled. “We had a good strategy and were feeling strong, but Dumoulin was there, fighting until the very last day. When you’re up against riders like that, you can never be sure of victory. Winning the Vuelta was the moment I truly understood what it means to stand on the podium as a Grand Tour winner.”

This year, Italy’s best hopes rest on Giulio Ciccone and Giulio Pellizzari. Aru had specific advice for both. “I can only tell him to believe in himself,” said the former champion about the Lidl-Trek rider. “But maybe he should focus on a few key stages rather than chasing the GC. In the Vuelta, he’ll be up against riders like Vingegaard, who won’t give anyone an inch on the big climbs.”

Aru gave similar advice for Pellizzari. “I think he should ride to back up or build on his performance. In the Giro, he first had to work for Roglic before riding for himself. Roglic won’t be at the Vuelta this year, so I think we’ll see him with a bit more freedom, so I think he can do well.”

Aru had already name-dropped Vingegaard, who will also be at the Vuelta’s start line. And the Italian had some strategic suggestions for the Danish star from Visma | Lease a Bike. “I think he needs to step away from the Vingegaard-Pogacar rivalry. In the end, Tadej kind of gets in his way. The results are what they are. Vingegaard can definitely do well, but we’ll have to see how he came out of the Tour and how much he’s recovered.”

Aru based that on the past two Tours de France. “He may have been even stronger than the year he won, and yet this time he didn’t win a single stage. Winning the Vuelta could help take off some of that pressure. I think he should also start targeting different goals, like Liège-Bastogne-Liège or the Giro d’Italia. He should try to win something new to expand his palmarès and escape this Tour de France trap,” Aru concluded.