Wout van Aert ready for Milano–Sanremo: "I’m going there to win"

The experienced rider from Herentals felt his legs were good during Tirreno–Adriatico and takes plenty of confidence from that week of racing. “I’m as ready as I can be for the Classics that are coming,” Van Aert said before the final stage of Tirreno. “After my injury in the winter I tried to recover as well as possible and prepare myself again. I’m happy with where I am now.”

And that’s a good sign ahead of Milan–Sanremo this coming Saturday. The Belgian doesn’t count himself among “the favorites” for that race. “Pogacar and Van der Poel are the big favorites,” Van Aert told Sporza. “I could win, though, because Sanremo is a race where anything can happen.”

For Van Aert, the week in Italy was an important step towards the spring Classics. “Tirreno was a good week. I needed race days and there were a couple of tough stages in there,” he explained.

The rider of Visma | Lease a Bike has traditionally performed very well in Milano–Sanremo. He has never finished outside the top eight in the race and already has a victory to his name in the first Monument of the year. That track record gives him confidence that another strong result is possible. Although Van Aert is aware that the competition will be fierce, his ambition remains clear. “It doesn’t mean that the winner in me has disappeared,” he said firmly. “I’m going there to win.”

Milano–Sanremo once again promises a battle between the biggest names in the peloton, but Van Aert believes he is on the right path after his recent performances. If his legs are as good as they were during Tirreno–Adriatico, the Belgian could once again play a decisive role on the Poggio and in the sprint on the Via Roma.