So close, so far. Wout Van Aart (Visma Ries a Bike) came close to making his Vuelta a España debut in the opening time trial in Lisbon, but had to settle for third place.

Starting last on the ultra-flat 12km TT along the coastline of the Tejo River, Van Aert recorded the fastest time at the intermediate checkpoint, one second faster than Czech national TT champion Matthias Vacek (Lidl-Trek).

However, Van Aert was unable to maintain his advantage in the final section of the highly exposed race. He was a fraction of a second behind Vacek and two seconds behind stage winner and Vuelta opener leader Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates).

But Van Aert was upbeat, telling Eurosport and other media outlets, “I'm not going to be a part of this race. And as one of the top sprinters in the 2024 Vuelta a España, even a third-place time bonus in a stage finish, which equates to four seconds in the Spanish Grand Tour, might be enough to bring Van Aert to red.

“The feeling was not good. Just got sore right away in the TT.

“I don't know what the complete result will be.

Van Aert, the last rider off the starting ramp, said he was glad he chose to start later in the day, given that the wind was a bit weaker at that point. At least, he said, “it was less windy than Rickon.”

“It was the right decision. But my legs weren't great, so even if I almost didn't finish, I would still be happy."

He added, ”I'm not sure if I'll be able to make it to the finish line.

Looking ahead, Van Aert promised to fight for stage wins throughout the Vuelta, saying, “I'm also thinking about the red jersey. So if I'm still around, I'll give it a shot in the next few days.

When informed that he is only two seconds behind McNulty, Van Aert said, “Then the race is all but won. That would be great."

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