The problems for Wout van Aert seem never-ending: last night, after the official presentation, the Belgian admitted he had feared for his participation in the Giro d'Italia. The Visma-Lease a Bike rider had been rarely seen in recent weeks, and the idea was that this silence was due to his preparation for the pink race. Van Aert was actually hit by a viral infection and until last week, he was not sure he would make it to the start in Albania.

"I was very unwell. I had a viral infection that forced me to take many antibiotics - van Aert said during the team presentation in Tirana -. Consequently, I had to make many modifications to my training. It was not the preparation I hoped for, so I start with some apprehension. The truth is that, apart from yesterday, I haven't been able to train well since the Amstel. This makes it difficult to start with confidence".

The first three stages seem perfect for the Belgian champion who, after the spring Classics, had said he hoped to win the first pink jersey of the race. Van Aert was not at his peak in April, and this virus, which forced him to take antibiotics, certainly did not help him in his approach to the Giro. "I hope I don't have to set aside my pink dream, especially because I finished the spring with good sensations".

Certainly, the Flemish rider is not one of the luckiest cyclists, and health problems have not been lacking in the past year. "It is certainly frustrating what happened, and illness is always a problem. Last week, I was even afraid I wouldn't make it to the start. Now that I'm here, it's a relief. We'll see how it goes day by day: I will certainly try during this opening weekend. I'm here to get as close as possible to my goal, even if I have no certainty that I'll be able to compete for the pink jersey. I think the most important thing now is to get through the start well and see how the body reacts. I'm usually the type of rider who grows during a grand tour, so if I'm not at my best from the beginning, I'm confident I can improve later. I'm usually always in good form in the last week. It would be fantastic to win as many stages as possible".

One of Van Aert's best qualities is his mental strength. The Belgian has had to endure very tough trials due to many injuries, but each time he has managed to recover and win again. This time too, he is sure he can recover and do well on the roads of the pink race, and one of his goals is the time trial.

"Usually, I can do well in these stages. This year I've only done one time trial, but it went very well. I was very ambitious, but my illness has somewhat scaled back this ambition. The time trial will be on the second day, but first we must wait and see how the first day of racing goes".