Van Aert considered quitting (both the Giro and his career), but now knows: "Strade race needs to become a goal again"

The Italian fans at the finish line were ecstatic: it was as if a local hero had crossed the line first, not a Flemish rider from Herentals. Van Aert also felt the support from Belgium and the rest of the world. "My phone has been buzzing non-stop," he laughs. "It feels really good to receive so many positive messages. A lot of people clearly want me to win. I just haven't had time to reply to everyone yet."

After three days of the Giro, Van Aert was struggling. The Belgian had hoped to win the pink jersey on the opening weekend, but that goal failed to materialize. And in the days that followed, things only got worse. "In the first stages, I was tired and didn't recover. It seemed to be going downhill rather than uphill. A week ago, I was still wondering: 'Does it make sense to continue in this Giro?' That was certainly the case after the first rest day."

That rest day didn't help much. "I was getting signals that I was getting through it, but then the stage to Lecce (won by Casper van Uden, ed.) was really disappointing. My legs were bad, and I felt exhausted, even though it wasn't a challenging ride at all. Things had to change before stage five; otherwise, the Giro might have been over. Strange to say that now, of course."

Fortunately, things turned around, although I didn't think success would come so quickly. After the finish in Siena, his wife, Sarah de Bie, said van Aert had even considered quitting in the winter. "Yes, that's not an exaggeration. This winter was just really tough. While lying on the ground in the Vuelta, I felt all the energy drain out of my body. I knew we were facing another long rehabilitation. Crashing is never easy, and that crash in the Vuelta came too soon after the setbacks in the spring. All those ups and downs... We're away from home so often, and sometimes you feel like I'm putting so much into this and getting so little in return. When it doesn't work out, cycling is just hard."

But he persevered and managed to win the 'Mini-Strade.' Van Aert won the real Strade Bianche in 2020, his last participation. After such a performance, however, it is clear that he must return to Tuscany. "I already knew that beforehand. It's one of my favorite races, so it was never easy not to ride it. But yes, I now have confirmation that the Strade race needs to become a goal again."

His return to the gravel race is also evident from his data afterward. No one rode faster into Siena than Van Aert, not even Tadej Pogacar. How is that possible when he is not yet at his best? "I've asked myself that too," he chuckles. "Pogacar probably didn't upload his files after the Strade. Besides, Isaac Del Toro and I were still battling it out. It makes sense that you ride faster than someone riding alone. Isaac was also riding as hard as he could to get the jersey. It's not like we were looking at each other."

This Tuesday, there is another opportunity for the Visma | Lease a Bike all-rounder. The time trial to Pisa usually suits him well, but he sees that there is one big favorite. "It's a course for real specialists. The start is quite technical, with some corners when leaving the city. But once you're five kilometers in, it's all about finding your rhythm and pushing hard. Joshua Tarling has already proven in Albania that he's in good shape, and this course should suit him even better. He'll be tough to beat."