In the last few kilometers of the Tirreno-Adriatico stage 3, a crosswind and a momentary movement in the front group roused Wout Van Aert.

The Belgian rider admitted to missing two weeks of training after falling ill at a high-altitude training camp following the World Cyclocross Championships. He did not target Strade Bianche and trained at altitude until the day before Tirreno-Adriatico.

He was consistent in the rain-soaked opening time trial and rode for his Jumbo-Visma teammate in the second stage of Follonica. On Wednesday, he was nothing like Van Aert, who wins classics, sprints, and even stages in the Tour de France.

He was at the front of a select lead group that formed with 10km to go to Foligno to help team leaders Wilco Kelderman and Primos Roglic gain time on their GC rivals and give him a chance to win the stage.

The peloton changed direction into a headwind and eventually closed the gap, with Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Desseuninck) winning a hectic sprint after a brilliant lead-out by team leader Mathieu van der Pol.

Despite struggling in the lead group, Van Aert finished sixth in the sprint.

"I was able to race in the final today. It's always good to challenge the echelon. It's motivating," Van Aert told Cycling News and other media present at Tirreno-Adriatico after a long warm-down in the shadow of the Jumbo-Visma team bus.

Van Aert had said before the stage that he would contest the sprint, but kept quiet about his plan to attack in the final kilometer, which was exposed on the valley road to Foligno.

"We surprised some people by not telling them our plan," Van Aert said with a smile. "We saw this section in the last 15 km and planned to attack there. Unfortunately, the big GC contenders weren't dropped in the end, but it was worth a shot."

When the peloton was back together and the sprint looked certain, Van Aert tried a second time to stay in front. He was unable to match the sprint group of Van der Pol and Filipsen, but he was back in the lead.

"The first goal for us was to give time to our rivals for the GC riders. When the bunch came back I used up a lot of energy. I still wanted to try to sprint, but you never know what will happen. I did steer Jacobsen once, but he was too far back," Van Aert explained.

The road to Foligno was smooth, and Van Aert was brighter than before Tirreno-Adriatico as he adjusted to riding at sea level after a long high altitude.

He is building his race form in Italy for the spring classics and is now confident of his chances for a stage win. The fourth stage from Greccio in central Italy to Tortoreto on the Adriatic coast is an ideal course for him. The last 51km of the stage is a circuit around Tortoreto, with four climbs. The climbs are 3 km long, at 7%, and are followed by testing hilly roads.

"Stage 4 is a good stage. I hope I have good legs. I think I have potential."