No Strade, Tirreno or Paris-Nice for Van Aert and Benoot—Altitude camp takes priority: "Choosing means losing"

Without Van Aert or Benoot, Visma | Lease a Bike will not have a clear team leader for the race in Siena. "That decision was made quickly. It’s the same plan as last year. Back then, we also returned two days before the E3 Saxo Classic," Benoot told Sporza. "Unfortunately, all four of us who were here last year crashed in the week after we got back. But we still took positive feelings from it, so we wanted to try it again."

While Van Aert won Strade Bianche in 2020, Benoot claimed victory in 2018. "When people think of me, they automatically link me to that edition," Benoot said with a smile. "It remains a great memory. When (Peter) Sagan attacked, I knew I was having a really good day. I hadn’t often followed Sagan’s wheel so comfortably before." In brutal conditions, where riders were covered in white mud, Benoot outsprinted Romain Bardet and Van Aert—who, back then, was still riding for Vérandas Willems-Crelan and finished an impressive third.

In the finale of his 2018 Strade Bianche victory, Tiesj Benoot bridged to the leading duo and quickly realized he had the upper hand. "I felt like the strongest in the finale. I rode up to them easily, and on the next climb, I was able to drop them on my own. In that kind of race, it’s a very special experience." The classics specialist still treasures the memory. "There’s a photo hanging in my dining room, taken from an apartment. My hands are in the air, surrounded by a massive crowd. And I still have the jersey—framed and unwashed."

For Benoot, not being on the start line in Siena is a tough pill to swallow. He would have loved to thunder across the gravel roads again. "I really regret not being at the start. We’re here at an altitude camp to prepare for the Flemish Classics, and I fully support that. But choosing means losing. If there’s one race I regret missing, it’s Strade Bianche. This was a decision we made together to be at our best later on." At least, Benoot won’t have to miss the race entirely.