Less than a month before the start of the Tour de France, Wout van Aert's condition is raising some questions within Visma-Lease a Bike. The Belgian champion, who won Paris-Roubaix this year, had an extremely difficult day at the Tour Auvergne Rhône Alpes, where he was forced to drop off very early during the team time trial, a discipline in which the Flemish rider has often been a protagonist in the past. It should be noted immediately that the course was not ideal for showcasing the qualities of the Belgian, but seeing him lose his teammates' wheels so early did raise some surprise.

The contrast with what he showed just two months ago is striking. After shining in France last April, thanks to exceptional form, Van Aert now seems far from his best condition. In yesterday's team time trial, in fact, the Belgian lost contact with his teammates already on the first altitude difficulties of the course, finishing with over five minutes behind the day's winner and teammate Matteo Jorgenson.

The performance surprised not only observers but also Visma's technical staff. Sports director Maarten Wynants admitted that the team expected much more from one of its leading men. According to the coach, Van Aert showed signs of difficulty from the start, managing to sustain only brief turns at the front of the group before losing ground.

Already on the first climb of the day, a four-kilometer ascent with an average gradient of 5-6%, Van Aert was forced to give ground. "We shouldn't be naive - said Maarten Wynants bluntly after the race - We expected more from Wout. He expected more from himself too. But from the start, the situation was immediately critical: we deliberately set a very high pace but apparently this affected him. A good Van Aert usually takes long turns at the front; yesterday he took short turns. He came to the front and then slipped back immediately. That says everything. It's not what we hoped for."

The rider himself did not hide his disappointment. While aware that this phase of the season would be complicated, Van Aert believed he was further along in his preparation than what emerged in the race. "I imagined it would be a difficult week - admitted the Flemish rider to VRT - But I thought I was further ahead than I showed. I hadn't expected all this".

Among the possible causes of the performance decline are cited the crash during training that occurred in recent days and the recovery period following his victory at Roubaix. Coach Mathieu Heijboer explained that the Belgian took the time necessary to celebrate and recover. "Wout is using this race to improve ahead of the Tour - explained Heijboer - And we see that he is improving".

Despite the difficulties, optimism still prevails within the team. There are approximately three weeks until the Grande Boucle and the staff believes that the Tour Auvergne Rhône Alpes represents a fundamental step to regain peak condition. Wynants reiterated his confidence in the rider's recovery abilities, emphasizing how Van Aert's experience will be decisive in overcoming this delicate moment.

"I remain one hundred percent confident that he will be fine - said Wynants - He won't like it, that's for sure. Wout has never experienced anything like this before. He and we will have to face it. But Wout has enough experience. It's about accepting it and moving forward. This is precisely the advantage of racing here and not at the Tour de Suisse. Now he still has time to work on his form."

Meanwhile Van Aert wants to be cautious, and when asked if he is certain to arrive at the Tour in his best form, the Belgian admitted he doesn't yet have a definitive answer. "Well, I find it difficult to answer that question - he briefly stated to VRT regarding the Tour - In any case, it was a disappointing day for me. We'll see how things evolve. But I have no intention of sitting idle".

One thing, however, is certain: Van Aert has no intention of giving up and will use every day available to try to present himself competitively at the start of the Tour de France on July 4th.