La Gazzetta is certain of it: "Van Aert as Jumbo-Visma's lead rider to the Giro, can he make the top five?"

The rumors have been circulating for some time, but La Gazzetta dello Sport believes it now knows for sure: Wout van Aert will ride the Giro d'Italia in 2024, will likely skip the Tour de France, and is even considering competing for the general classification in the Italian tour, in addition to winning stages, of course.

Van Aert is a rider who enjoys trying new things. Hence, he revealed before the Gran Piemonte that he would like to race in the Giro d'Italia in 2024, a tour he has never ridden. However, the Belgian has completed the Tour de France five times, where he has won nine stages and claimed the green jersey once.

In 2024, the Jumbo-Visma lead rider will also focus on the spring, during which the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix will once again be major objectives, as well as the Olympic Games in early August. In Paris, Van Aert will have to contend with Filippo Ganna (on the time trial, who will also be riding the Giro) and Mathieu van der Poel (who has hinted at participating in the Vuelta). Tadej Pogacar and Remco Evenepoel will definitely be riding the Tour.

Jumbo-Visma has absolute faith in lead rider Van Aert

Therefore, the Giro d'Italia would be a good fit for Van Aert, especially given the fact that this race has 10,000 fewer vertical meters than the Tour de France and is also considerably less uphill than the Tours of Italy in recent years.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Van Aert will lead Jumbo-Visma to the Giro d'Italia, and the team believes a top-five finish in the general classification is possible - though winning the Giro will not be the goal. In the Tour de France, the Dutch team is counting on two-time winner Jonas Vingegaard and Vuelta laureate Sepp Kuss, who already stated this week that the Giro is likely not a good fit for him in 2024.