Wout van Aert knows all too well that he made a crucial mistake after massive-power climb
CyclingThursday, 12 March 2026 at 17:02
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Follow us on GoogleWout van Aert looked super strong, but when he entered the final kilometre in a group of 14 riders, the Belgian from Visma | Lease a Bike may have been just a little too eager. He closed the gap to late attacker Jan Christen (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and in doing so effectively launched the sprint for eventual winner Mathieu van der Poel.
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That Van Aert was highly motivated for stage 4 of Tirreno-Adriatico had already become clear before the start. With a sharp look in his eyes, Van Aert previewed a difficult day packed with climbs and a demanding final ascent with 10 kilometres to go. “I recovered well from yesterday’s stage. It was a very long day, but not that difficult. Fortunately, it was not super cold,” he said positively in his pre-stage reaction.
“I had already marked this stage earlier this week and this is one that should suit me. The finale is tough, with a few climbs. For some sprinters that may be a bit too hard, and then we end up on terrain that suits me,” said Van Aert, who then saw exactly that scenario unfold. Teammate Matteo Jorgenson did a huge turn on the final climb, which left only an elite group at the front.
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Van Aert calls Van der Poel ‘the strongest’
Using Velon’s numbers, we can see that Van Aert — and almost certainly Van der Poel and Filippo Ganna as well — had to dig deep to stay with the lighter climbers on the final climb of one and a half kilometres. With an average of 590 watts on an average gradient of 9.1 percent, Van Aert was clearly in very good shape. That should roughly come down to 7.56 watts per kilogram.
Once over the top, however, a new race began, and according to Van Aert that was where he made a crucial mistake. “It is always difficult to sprint in a small group. I reacted too quickly to that late attack. That was where I had already done my sprint,” Van Aert told the Belgian media, referring to Christen’s move.
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The big question is whether Van Aert could really have changed the result if he had not chased Christen. The Belgian himself was not so sure. “Mathieu also started from a long way out. Nobody could get back onto his wheel after that. He was the strongest. You also have to be able to admit that.”
Van Aert described it as “a super good race” from Visma | Lease a Bike, with Timo Kielich in the early breakaway, allowing the Belgian team to position their riders well ahead of the climb. Jorgenson then helped create the elite front group. “It is a pity we could not finish it off,” Van Aert concluded. “But yes, I am satisfied. It has been a good day.”
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Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
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