Wout van Aert uploads Scotland training ride to Strava ahead of World Championships
The nine-time Tour de France stage winner has been out on his time trial bike in Stirling
Wout van Aert is in Scotland, and has uploaded a training ride to Strava completed in Stirling on Friday.
In a file titled ‘Showing off the moustache to the highlanders’, the Belgian rode a little over 64km through the countryside west of the city. The area will host the time trial events at the upcoming UCI Road World Championships, which will be spread out across the south of Scotland this August.
Though the exact individual time trial route is yet to be released, it’s likely Van Aert was conducting a recon of the roads expected to be used, and did so on his Cervélo P5 time trial bike.
In the process, Van Aert collected two of the local area’s KOMs, bettering an eight-year-old course record on the seven-kilometer-long ‘Kippen Looper’ segment by one minute and thirteen seconds. He also claimed a Strava crown on an extended 27km segment called ‘Best Guess West’, taking almost four minutes off the previous best time.
"We see you, Wout van Aert," tweeted the UCI World Championships account. "Hopefully taking in Stirling's rich history along with all those local KOMs."
After a strong classics campaign, in which he won the E3 Saxo Classic and placed third at Paris-Roubaix, Van Aert is now undergoing a rest and training block before his next scheduled race at June’s Tour de Suisse.
The Jumbo-Visma rider’s Strava upload from Scotland comes after a series of rides completed in his native Belgium this week. On Thursday, Van Aert rode 180km out of his hometown of Herentals, crossing over the Dutch border and stopping for coffee and cake on the way.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
This August, the Belgian is expected to compete in both the road and time trial events at the ‘Super Worlds’ anchored in Glasgow. He has twice finished a runner-up against the clock, in 2020 and 2021, losing out to Italy’s Filippo Ganna both times.
When Stirling was announced as the site of this year’s time trials, Paul Bush, the chair of the upcoming World Championships, said in a statement: “I am delighted to confirm Stirling as our second location outside of Glasgow to host the inaugural 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships, further showcasing this as a truly pan-Scotland mega event.”
Local council leader Scott Farmer said the hosting was a “massive win for Stirling”, and will help establish the city as a “world-class events destination”.
Having already travelled to Scotland with the support of Belgian Cycling, it is likely Van Aert will complete further training rides in the region over the weekend.
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Tom joined Cycling Weekly as a news and features writer in the summer of 2022, having previously contributed as a freelancer. He is the host of The TT Podcast, which covers both the men's and women's pelotons and has featured a number of prominent British riders.
An enthusiastic cyclist himself, Tom likes it most when the road goes uphill and actively seeks out double-figure gradients on his rides.
-
The land of legends: Riding on Tadej Pogačar's home roads
As part of our New Worlds issue in Travel Month, Chris Marshall Bell travelled to Slovenia to find out why it produces so many WorldTour riders per head of population.
By Chris Marshall-Bell Published
-
SBT GRVL lives! The story of just how close the gravel community came to losing one of its biggest events
Here are all the details on what the revamped event will look like in 2025 as government headwinds continue to push against the event
By Logan Jones-Wilkins Published
-
‘Dear tiger': Why do Wout van Aert’s Strava files all have strange names?
The Visma-Lease a Bike rider has been feeling musical on a training camp
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Tweets of the week: Wout van Aert gets on his dancing shoes and Tom Pidcock gets a new puppy
Bringing you your regular cycling social media roundup
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Amazon Prime Jumbo-Visma documentary: Five things we want to see
Six-part series available on Amazon Prime in the Benelux region from March 1
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
CW LIVE: Primož Roglič confirmed for Giro d'Italia 2023; Track rider hits 2,271 watts; NCL announces first two teams; Van Aert to ride cyclo-cross Worlds; Sram and Oakley team up with Jumbo-Visma; Rwanda unveils pump track: Evenepoel eyes Pogačar showdown
Join us as we round up the day's cycling news
By Tom Davidson Last updated
-
CW LIVE: Is the love affair between Geraint Thomas and Oakley no more? Ineos Grenadiers to partner with SunGod for coming season; Tadej Pogačar's shiny new Colnago; new kit for Israel-Premier Tech in 2023 and Geraint Thomas confirms Giro return
The latest cycling news, as it happens
By Tom Thewlis Last updated
-
Beating Argentina like outsprinting Van Aert and van der Poel says World Cup coach
‘We were with Van der Poel, Van Aert and Pogačar and we still crossed the line before them’ says Saudi Arabia coach Hervé Renard
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Wout van Aert the latest star to sign lengthy contract, sticks with Jumbo-Visma until 2026
Multi-year deals are all the rage for the biggest riders, with Tom Pidcock, Tadej Pogačar, and Remco Evenepoel all tied down for at least four more years
By Adam Becket Published
-
Why is Wout Van Aert allowed to wear a Red Bull helmet - and did he really want to show that 'the jersey gives me wings'?
The Belgian is one of just three riders in the men's peloton sponsored by the energy drink
By Ryan Dabbs Last updated