Wout Van Aert is undoubtedly one of the strongest and most multi-talented riders in the World Tour peloton, but even the Belgian cannot avoid illness and setbacks.

At his best, Van Aert could have been the favorite to win the Tirreno-Adriatico time trial, throw himself into a sprint finish, contest a stage win in the hills of Italy, and fight for the overall win.

Not this year.

Van Aert arrived at the crucial high altitude camp of Jambovisma in mid-February, was struck by illness, and has been playing catch-up while suffering on Mount Teide in Tenerife. As a result, he missed the Strada Bianche and made Tirreno-Adriatico his final preparation race for the Spring Classics.

"I'm good enough to race and competitive enough, but I was supposed to start the season with Strada de Bianche at 100%. But I was supposed to start the season at Strade Bianche at 100%. Due to circumstances, I will start the race in Tirreno at a little less than 100%, and I will try to make up for that this week," Van Aert revealed to Cycling News and other media in Italy on Sunday.

"After the World Cyclocross Championships, I had five days off. But after two days of training at altitude, I was forced to take another five days off."

"I've been working on my training and I've been working on my training.

"These two rest periods added up to too long to maintain the same level of fitness. Two weeks after the World Cyclocross Championships, we did our first quality training ride. It was at least a week later than we had hoped.

Van Aat's winter base training and cyclocross season did not have to start from scratch, even if it felt like it.

"After a few rides I felt like I was back to zero, but luckily my form came back faster than normal during the winter months. It was really bad timing and a setback, but sometimes things make you stronger and you learn from them and try to get better," he explained, not overly worried and hoping that the delayed start to the 2023 road season was a blessing in disguise

"I'm not going to be a fan of the new season.

"After the World Cyclocross Championships I got sick and discouraged, but a few days later I got up and restarted again.

"There is no need to panic. It is always important to have a new plan when needed and we did that. Instead of tapering for Strade Bianche and Tirreno Adriatico, we spent a week in the highlands. In fact, we did not taper, but trained until yesterday's flight.

"After Paris-Roubaix is over, I want to be able to say it was a good thing. People might not believe me when I say that Tirreno was a training race, but it's true. Now I just have to wait and see how I feel."

Van Aat's main goal for the spring is to win at Monumento. A second win in Milan-San Remo would be nice, but the Tour de Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, or both are his and Jumbo-Visma's main goals for the spring.

"This is a really big team goal for us," Van Aert confirmed.

"That's why I was so happy to see how strong the players were last weekend in Belgium. We are a strong team."

Van Art was on the plane from Tenerife to Italy, so he did not get to see much of Tom Pidcock's solo victory at Strade Bianche. This was because he was on the plane from Tenerife to Italy. His setback meant that he was unable to run the Italian Classic.

Monday's opening time trial of Tirreno-Adriatico would be the first blow and a major container shakedown. Van Aert indicated that he will not contest the expected sprints on stage 2, Folinka, and stage 3, Foligno.

"I think I'll focus on the second half of the week and use the first three days to get into the race," he said, explaining to Cycling News that he can feel the benefit of more oxygenated air at sea level but needs time to adapt to the race. "

Van Aert is part of a strong Jumbo-Visma team that includes Primoz Roglic, who is back racing after winter shoulder surgery and a long rehab. In Tirreno-Adriatico, Wilco Kelderman and Thijs Benoot will be the Jumbo-Visma team leaders.

"This morning we had a meeting about who was supposed to come to the press conference for the top players, since the whole team could not go. Unfortunately, it turned out to be me," Van Aert joked sarcastically.

"I think there are a couple of players who could get a shot at the GC. Wilco has prepared really well and I think Teasey is in good shape. Primosch joined the team at the last minute. He's here without pressure, but he could surprise us as well."

"In addition to the riders I just mentioned, there are other super strong riders in the country. Dylan Van Barre is also preparing for the Classic. I hope to get better from the start and get a good result in the stages near the end of the week."

"I believe we are strong enough to combine all these goals. It is important to have a race plan, pick a stage where you want to get a result and dig deep. That's what I need to do to improve my form."