Wout van Aert entered the Volta ao Algarve time trial without much preparation on his time-trial bike, making him an underdog against specialists in the discipline. However, by the end of the day, he had spent most of his time in the hot seat and ultimately finished second, only behind his teammate Jonas Vingegaard.
“I was really watching the climbers because this time trial was quite tough,” van Aert told *Eurosport*. “The approach to the final climb was also hilly, so it wasn’t possible to pace yourself and ride at a steady effort.”
The stage featured 17 kilometers of rolling terrain before culminating in a steep 2-kilometer ascent with gradients reaching double digits. Van Aert opted to switch to a road bike at the base of the Malhão climb, a decision that briefly put him in the provisional lead ahead of Jakov Soderqvist.
Reaching that position, however, was no easy task. The Belgian admitted he struggled throughout the course. “I didn’t feel good at any point. I suffered and felt uncomfortable, but those often turn out to be the best time trials,” he said. “I’m happy with my performance because I was up against some really strong riders.”
Van Aert credited his bike change as a key factor in his performance. “We executed it well, and after that, I could push hard on the climb. I’m not sure if I would have ridden the same on a time-trial bike, but I felt better standing on my road bike, so for me, it was the right call.”
Along the way, he comfortably outpaced time-trial specialists like Filippo Ganna and Stefan Küng. His biggest challengers were Antonio Tiberi, who showed great form on the queen stage, and Vingegaard, who ultimately bested his time to claim both the stage win and the overall victory securing a triumphant day for Team Visma | Lease a Bike.
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