Visma | Lease a Bike reveals first names for the Vuelta through Burgos selection and Van Aert interview

Visma | Lease a Bike has made the first decisions regarding the selection for the Vuelta a España. After a spring full of setbacks, the Dutch team had kept the door to the Vuelta closed for a while, but as we head towards the Vuelta and the Tour of Burgos, and following the road race at the Olympics, they have started to reveal more about their plans.

Wout van Aert will be present in Lisbon on August 15. The Belgian confirmed this on Sunday evening in an interview with Paris by night. "Vacation? No, in two weeks I will be at the start of the Vuelta," Van Aert clearly stated. The Vuelta had been tentatively on his schedule all year, but a crash in Dwars door Vlaanderen disrupted those plans. He had to skip the Giro d'Italia and rode the Tour de France as preparation for the Olympics. The Vuelta will serve as a perfect warm-up for the World Championships in Zurich.

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Kuss to the Vuelta a España via Burgos

In a press release by Visma | Lease a Bike, it was further revealed that Sepp Kuss and Cian Uijtdebroeks also intend to head to Lisbon. Both are part of the seven-man selection for the Vuelta a Burgos, which begins on Monday. The five-day race will mark Kuss' comeback after his COVID-19 infection that kept him out of competition for weeks, including the Tour de France, following the Dauphiné. Uijtdebroeks is back after having to abandon the Giro due to COVID-19. He participated in the Tour of Switzerland in June and then went to a high-altitude training camp in Tignes.

"I feel good. It took a while to recover from my illness, but my preparation for this period went smoothly. Participation in the Tour was unfortunately not possible for me, but the altitude training in Tignes with some teammates was really good for me," says Kuss, who will defend his title in the Vuelta. "The Vuelta a Burgos is a perfect preparation. We ride on similar roads and in the same warm weather conditions. There are some challenging stages where I want to show myself, but my main goal is to gain race rhythm. I hope to finish the race with a good feeling and fine-tune the last details for the Vuelta."

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Uijtdebroeks was at high altitude with Kuss in Tignes

Team leader Marc Reef confirms that alongside Kuss, Uijtdebroeks is also heading to Burgos with the Vuelta in mind. "Besides Sepp, Cian also had a rest and training period. They both prepared well in Tignes. We certainly want to achieve a good result, but our main goal is to leave the race with a good feeling. We see the Vuelta a Burgos as the ultimate stimulus for the Vuelta."

The Visma | Lease a Bike selection for the Vuelta a Burgos is completed by Ben Tulett, Johannes Staune-Mittet, Robert Gesink, Edoardo Affini and Julien Vermote.