Wout van Aert knows that the battle for green with Pogačar is going all the way: 'We’re on the right track'

Wout van Aert was the main driving force on Friday during the seventh stage of the Vuelta a España. The Belgian rider from Visma | Lease a Bike spent the entire day on the attack during a grueling mountain stage and ultimately finished third, earning him the green points jersey. “I felt really strong,” he said with satisfaction afterward.

Van Aert attacked right from the start alongside the eventual winner, Uno-X rider Andreas Leknessund. “Right now, my legs are really sore; I thought this was a good opportunity to give it a shot. I thought, ‘Why not try right away?’ I rode at the front all day, but it was pretty tough, so I probably lost it on the final climb.”

"But I'm still very happy with my performance. I felt really strong today, and Andreas was a great partner right from the start. It’s also really great to see that he managed to pull it off in the end. He truly deserves this victory. It was the kind of day I really enjoy,” said Van Aert.

"In hindsight, maybe I could have done a little better if I had believed in myself," Van Aert added on Sporza. "But maybe we wouldn’t have gotten as far if I’d started playing around. The five of us worked together really well. If I don’t do that, the rest of the team starts to work less effectively too, and we might not even make it to the final climb."

The Belgian also received a reward: he now leads the points classification. “Of course, it feels much better to be leading the points classification than just wearing the jersey. We’re on the right track. We’re trying to earn as many points as possible,” Van Aert said afterward.

"With Tadej Pogacar in the mix, we also have a clear competitor. It’s going to be a tough battle right to the end, but I’m ready for it. If Matthew Brennan turns out to be a contender as well, so much the better! He’s my teammate, so it would be great to have him in the mix too. But the hardest part will be beating Tadej,” says Van Aert.

There's another potential opportunity for Visma | Lease a Bike as early as Saturday. "It's another great day for Matthew (Brennan) and for the team. We'll see," he concludes.