Wout van Aert to miss Strade Bianche as illness delays his road season, will begin campaign at Tirreno-Adriatico

Wout van Aert has revealed he will miss Saturday’s Strade Bianche after “not feeling very well” earlier this month. The Jumbo-Visma rider will instead start his 2023 road campaign at Tirreno-Adriatico, which runs from March 6-12. Ad In the Belgian's absence, Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin–Deceuninck), Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers), Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious) and Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal–Quick-Step) will be among the favourites to triumph on the famous white gravel roads of Tuscany.

Omloop Het NieuwsbladOpinion: No Wout, no problem — there's a new super team in townYESTERDAY AT 20:06 “Unfortunately, I was not feeling very well for several days last week during the start of my training camp here in Tenerife,” Van Aert said in a video message on social media. “Fortunately, it wasn’t too bad and I felt better shortly after. However, it affected my training.

“After taking a break following the Cyclo-cross World Championships, I again lost a few training days in preparation for the season. “We decided it’s better to stay at altitude longer and I can reach my best shape possible for Tirreno-Adriatico. We think it’s not possible to perform at my best in Strade Bianche." Van Aert had a busy winter as he went up against Van der Poel and Pidcock in several cyclo-cross races, finishing second to the Dutch rider at the World Championships.