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Wout van Aert's Vuelta a España campaign and tactical role

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2026-09-03 07:42 UTC → 2026-09-04 18:57 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Professional cyclist Wout van Aert has transitioned from training and gravel racing into active competition at the Vuelta a España. Following his recovery from an elbow injury and a second-place finish at the Belgian Gravel Championship, Van Aert has begun implementing tactical roles for his Visma | Lease a Bike team. During the opening technical time trial in Monaco, which Van Aert described as being “at the limit” due to its demanding terrain, he finished in eighth place. While he had initially aimed to challenge for the red leader's jersey, he shifted focus toward supporting his teammates during the second stage. In that stage, Van Aert launched a powerful attack approximately 2 kilometers from the finish. Although Tadej Pogačar of UAE Emirates-XRG responded to the move, the disruption facilitated a stage victory for Van Aert’s teammate, Matthew Brennan. Van Aert finished second in the stage and moved into second place in the general classification. The third stage of the race faced significant disruption due to extreme weather, as heavy rain and hail forced the neutralization of the event. During the sixth stage, Van Aert joined an early breakaway to collect points for the points classification. After determining the breakaway would not have sufficient freedom to contest the stage win, he pivoted to focus on intermediate sprints, successfully securing 20 points. He noted that while he is in a strong position in the secondary classification, overtaking Tadej Pogačar for the lead remains a “significant challenge.” By the 11th stage, a 151.3km route from Cartagena to Lorca, Van Aert performed a strong sprint at the GPM (Grand Prix de la Montagne) to lead the field. The stage was also marked by strong winds that split the peloton and a group crash involving Vermaerke and Mckenzie.

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