In recent years, Strade Bianche has established itself as a highlight of the early cycling season. The race over Tuscany’s gravel roads features a modified course compared to last year’s demanding edition. Some gravel sectors have been removed and the race is shortened. In total, the riders will face 64 kilometers of gravel roads. The finish remains at the iconic Piazza del Campo.  

For Van Aert, Strade Bianche will be his second race of the year. The 31-year-old Belgian opened his season last Tuesday at Le Samyn and is now looking forward to his return to Italian soil. Since 2021, Van Aert has not competed in Strade Bianche, a race he already won in 2020. On those same gravel roads, Van Aert claimed his memorable stage victory in last season's Giro d’Italia.  

“I’m looking forward to racing again in Italy,” Van Aert opens. “It’s been a while since I last lined up at the start of Strade Bianche. Together with the team, we decided to skip the race for a few seasons, but this year it’s back on the schedule at my request. The combination of Strade Bianche and Tirreno-Adriatico seems like a good preparation for our other goals later in the spring.”  

Due to an ankle injury during the winter and illness during last weekend’s opening races, Van Aert did not have a flawless preparation. Last Tuesday he pinned on a race number for the first time this season at Le Samyn, where mechanical problems prevented him from contesting the victory.  

“It was nice to open my season at Le Samyn, but I’ll arrive at the start in Siena with more question marks than I had hoped,” says Van Aert. “I had marked Strade Bianche as the first real big goal of the season, but we’ll have to see how I feel on Saturday. In any case, I’m highly motivated to show myself. We’re lining up with a strong team. Matteo has already shown good form in the French spring races. We can definitely aim for a top result.”  

“Strade Bianche is one of the most challenging races on the calendar,” adds sports director Maarten Wynants. “As with other races, meticulous preparation is essential here. Because of the chaos, it’s not easy to make adjustments from the team car, so it’s important to have a clear plan beforehand. We can rely on a strong lineup. Several of our riders starting have a background in cyclocross or mountain biking. That’s definitely an advantage on a course like this. With Wout, we also have a former winner on the team who has already proven he can perform well here. Alongside him, Matteo is one of the leaders. We also have riders like Timo Kielich, who is very capable on the unpaved sectors. We’re looking forward to it.”