Wout van Aert wants to aim high next spring, so he won't seek victory in the first Flemish weekend races, but will look directly at the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, skipping Strade Bianche and Milan-San Remo. Yesterday, the Belgian showed he is in excellent form, finishing second in the final time trial of the Volta ao Algarve. The victory went to Vingegaard, Van Aert's teammate, who also won the overall classification of the race.

"I'm happy with the sensations I've experienced these days," said Van Aert. "This second place helped me understand where I'm at, and we were aiming for the overall victory with Jonas. So we achieved our goal."

In the stage classification, Vingegaard won by setting the best time, with Van Aert finishing 11" behind, followed by Antonio Tiberi, third at 15".

"Yesterday, the strongest sensation was suffering, which for me often translates into a good time trial. I didn't feel comfortable during the climb. It was difficult to maintain a controlled pace, but in the end, I had a good race against the clock. I'm very happy with my result and Jonas's victory. I also feel I've taken another important step this week towards the spring classics."

Last year, Van Aert won Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne and finished on the podium in Omloop. This year, he knows he must look beyond and wants to conquer the Monument Classics missing from his palmares. "I don't know if I'll be at the start of the Flemish weekend with the same legs as last year. I won't even try to make a comparison. So I think the opening weekend will be more useful to see how I'm doing. I would feel silly if I said I'll try to win the Brabant Arrow or Through Flanders."

Van Aert's season will resume next weekend with Omloop and Kuurne, and then move to E3 Saxo Classic on March 28 and Through Flanders. Strade Bianche and Milan-San Remo will be absent, and in April, he'll aim for victory in the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.

"With the palmares I have, I'm obliged to race to win a Monument Classic. It would make little sense if this spring I settled for other races."

Tadej Pogacar also raced this weekend, proving once again to be the strongest rider. Van Aert knows that the Slovenian and Van der Poel will be his most dangerous opponents at the Tour of Flanders, but he won't be intimidated by them.

"How do I look at Tadej Pogacar? With wide eyes, obviously. He seems to be on the same level as 2024, which was obviously predictable. But I also think that the riders who could have made his race difficult were not present at the UAE Tour."