Grischa Niermann wants to race aggressively without Wout van Aert: "Don't adapt to Mathieu"

Visma | Lease a Bike will have to miss its clear leader Wout van Aert this weekend in the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. A major setback for the team, but the German Head of Racing refuses to believe that this illness will have long-term consequences. Niermann also thinks his men will still compete for the prizes this weekend.

Alongside Niermann and 20-year-old Matthew Brennan, the experienced Kempenaar should also have been sitting at the Dutch WorldTeam’s press conference in Deerlijk on Thursday afternoon. “This illness is really bad timing, but we have to push through now,” Niermann says to our camera. “Mentally, it’s a reset. For him, it’s a huge blow, and I understand that. I hope he can soon set his sights on the upcoming races.”

Longer-Term Goals
The team is most frustrated because Van Aert was making steady progress during the training camp in Sierra Nevada after suffering a painful ankle fracture in the Zilvermeercross some time ago. But in the last days of the camp, Van Aert suddenly fell ill. “Last night, we already called in another rider who was only scheduled to ride Kuurne to come here (the team hotel) just in case we would miss Wout. And today (Friday), the decision was quickly made that he cannot start,” the German said.

“Until then, everything with Wout had actually been going according to plan. He had a very good training period behind him. His recovery was progressing well, and the signs were good. He had no issues with injuries and could do all his training as usual. We just don’t have a crystal ball to say how soon he will be fit again. It’s not that he’s seriously sick, more like the kind of illness we all get from time to time. That will be fine again in the long run.”

Niermann holds on to that last point. “The Omloop is a very important race, but not the peak of the season. It’s positive that Wout was ready to race, but the plan was always for him to be at his best in a few weeks’ time. Wout and the team’s big goals remain the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, and those races are still some time away.”

In that respect, the German puts the Opening Weekend into perspective. “The Omloop doesn’t always tell the full story. We won the Omloop three years in a row (with Van Aert, Dylan van Baarle, and Jan Tratnik in 2022, 2023, and 2024), but we couldn’t replicate that success later in the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix in those same springs. If we can turn it around now…”

“That said, both the Omloop itself and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne are such big races that we line up at the start because we really want to win. That’s what it’s about, and I hope we will deliver.”

Aggressive Racing
Based on Brennan sitting next to him, we assume the 20-year-old Brit is the team’s new leader. Niermann partly agrees. “It’s no secret that Matthew will be our card if it comes to a sprint. He is definitely our best bet to win the race. But will it be a sprint? That’s not our racing style.”

Also against top favorite Mathieu van der Poel then? “We have a very strong team. Besides Matthew, I am also looking at Christophe Laporte, Axel Zingle, Timo Kielich, and Edoardo Affini. They are all strong riders, so I don’t think we will try to keep everything together for the sprint. It’s unfortunate that we have to miss Wout, but we won’t ride headless. It’s not true that we have no chance.”

“That Mathieu participates at the last minute definitely changes something,” Niermann admits. “The favorite role was already with Alpecin-Premier Tech, with Jasper Philipsen and Kaden Groves as team leaders. Now the favorite role lies even more with them. But we will not change our tactics because of that. I remain convinced that we have a strong team and that by racing aggressively, we can get as far as possible in the race.”

Fit Team
Apart from Van Aert, the other riders on the team are fully fit. “Christophe had a good week in the Ruta del Sol and even managed to win a stage there. Unfortunately, he crashed on the last day, but training is already going well again. It’s never great to crash, but after missing the spring of 2025, Christophe is ready to show again what he can do in finales.”

Last year, the entire Omloop was a mess for Visma | Lease a Bike, but Niermann has learned from that. “We weren’t well positioned at the key points back then. There, we will have to show that we are stronger and that we want to be positioned there. Of course, the others know that too. Because of the tougher pre-final and the tailwind, the race dynamics could be different, but we are ready. Anything can happen in the Omloop.”