Wout van Aert has not yet presented his schedule for 2026 and is still in discussions with Visma | Lease a Bike about it. However, the Tour de France seems likely to fit into his plans.
That is quite remarkable, as there is little glory to be gained in the 2026 Tour de France for riders like Van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel. We had to come to this cautious conclusion after the route for next summer was unveiled. On paper, it appears there are few opportunities for riders of their type at first glance.
"The opening time trial and the stage in Barcelona were already known and I was really looking forward to those. For the rest, I think there might be too few stages that suit me 100 percent, but I can perform well in many areas if I’m at my top level. That’s the goal," Van Aert said in an interview with Sporza.
Van Aert cannot yet guarantee his participation. “I can’t promise that because those talks with the team still have to take place. But I do have the ambition to be there,” he said.
In the most recent Tour de France, Van Aert was still a stage winner on the Champs-Elysées. It became one of the most memorable moments of the season, as the Belgian dropped Tadej Pogacar on the Montmartre climb.
