Wout van Aert made a highly anticipated return to road racing on Monday at the 2025 Clásica Jaén Paraiso Interior. Sadly for the Belgian superstar though, things didn’t go exactly to plan as he struggled to make a real impact, crossing the line six minutes down on the eventual winner Michal Kwiatkowski in 39th place.
“We certainly expected more,” a disappointed Team Visma | Lease a Bike sports director Arthur van Dongen, reflected honestly in a post-race discussion with Het Nieuwsblad. “We did not travel here for such a result,” he adds firmly.
In the end, Ben Tulett finished as Team Visma | Lease a Bike’s best performer on the day, taking home a 9th placed finish. As mentioned though, it was Van Aert’s performance and level that took the majority of the headlines for the team. “It is the first race of the season for Wout and he had to compete against guys who already have races under their belts,” Van Dongen says of the Belgian’s level. “That is less bad if you have done an altitude training camp. In the past we have already proven that we are immediately ready.”
“You also have to remember: it is a race with 2,600 meters of altitude in a very short time, because the first part is relatively flat,” Van Dongen continues, insisting that whilst the result was admittedly far from what had been expected, it shouldn’t all be doom and gloom for Van Aert afterwards. “I have also seen good things from Wout.”
🇧🇪 Wout van Aert
🗣️ "I felt good, but I still have to improve a lot for this type of race. Everyone has trained well during winter, but so have I. In the final, I was at my limit a few times. When I realized I couldn't compete for the victory, I tried to help Ben."#ClasicaJaen pic.twitter.com/pNpZWIldte
— Domestique (@Domestique___) February 17, 2025
“When he started riding in front in support of Tulett, he reduced Kwiatkowski and McNulty’s lead from 58 seconds to about twenty. If you’re bad, you can’t do that,” concludes Van Dongen. “It’s hard to compare this Wout with the Wout from last year around this time, but I don’t think they’re that far apart. Although we also know that there’s still room for a few percent. But don’t worry.”
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