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Wout van Aert 'had to suffer a lot' but Giro d'Italia 'will help' him at Tour de France - Visma-Lease a Bike's Head of Racing, Grischa Niermann
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Published 26/05/2025 at 23:04 GMT+1
Visma-Lease a Bike rider Wout van Aert is out of the running for the pink jersey at the 2025 Giro d'Italia. But the team's Head of Racing, Grischa Niermann, told TNT Sports that the 30-year-old Belgian will benefit from his involvement when he comes to compete in this year's Tour de France, which is set to begin in July, live on discovery+. UAE Team Emirates-XRG's Isaac del Toro leads in Italy.
'We were worried' - Vingegaard and Niermann discuss Van Aert at Giro d'Italia
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Visma-Lease a Bike's Head of Racing, Grischa Niermann, told TNT Sports that Wout van Aert’s presence at the Giro d’Italia "will help him" for the upcoming Tour de France.
Van Aert has not been at his consistent best in Italy, but there have been moments which show his quality.
The 30-year-old Belgian won Stage 9 and also came close to victory on Stage 13, but is not a contender for the General Classification.
Team-mate Simon Yates is in second spot, 1:20 off UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider Isaac del Toro, who heads the pack.
However, speaking to TNT Sports, Niermann said there had been a chance of withdrawing him from the race given a bout of sickness before the event.
Niermann said: "I have to admit the first days of the Giro was not so much fun seeing him, because we knew he wasn’t in his best health, and he got second on the opening stage.
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'I almost can't explain it' - Van Aert on wild win in Siena
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"In the days after, he actually had to suffer a lot and, of course, especially these first three days, we had high hopes for Wout taking pink and winning stages, and it didn’t materialise.
"We were worried if we could send him to the Giro or if we would have to take him out. But in the end, he got better and he has a big, big engine, and luckily he survived.
"And we truly believe that the Giro will help him also in his preparation towards the Tour [de France]."
Le Tour begins on July 5, and will be available live and on-demand on TNT Sports and discovery+.
Van Aert is still recovering from a serious knee injury and Niermann said Stage 9 came with psychological benefits, as well.
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"It was a very big confidence boost by winning that stage," he added. "He was waiting for, in his terms, pretty long for another victory.
"And then of course he was very strong in the Spring Classics, but the victory didn’t materialise. That was not a hard time, but a difficult time for him as well."
Visma - Lease a bike colleague Jonas Vingegaard echoed those thoughts, and predicted he would be in better form when the Tour de France comes around in July.
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He explained: "It’s been really impressive to see how he’s been doing. I know he was sick before the Giro, so it’s really nice to see how he’s coming back, and nice to see especially the stage he won.
Tuesday's Stage 16 features three first-category climbs including the summit finish on Brentonico, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
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Watch the Tour de France 2025 live on TNT Sports and discovery+ from July 5-27.
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