Wout van Aert is fully engaged in preparing for the new cycling season and cyclocross. On Monday, it was announced that the Belgian will return to the mud on December 20th, but leading up to his crossover comeback, there is still time for coffee breaks, relaxation, and a very special reconnaissance of Paris-Roubaix.
The Visma | Lease a Bike rider shares various photos and videos with his followers on Instagram as part of a well-established weekly tradition. For Van Aert, weeks 47 and 48 were mainly about necessary training rides – including with his good friend Jan Bakelants – time with his children, and a first photoshoot and meeting with his team looking ahead to 2026.
He also had a reconnaissance scheduled in northern France. Cycling fans already craving the next edition of Paris-Roubaix will still have to wait almost five months for the race spectacle in the “Hell of the North,” but Van Aert was already spotted on the famous Northern French cobbled sectors. His goal? Testing his equipment.
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Van Aert himself captured footage of his reconnaissance of the Hell of the North, thanks to the Oakley Meta Vanguard. This is a pair of sunglasses that allow a rider to film, effectively letting you ride along from the cyclist’s perspective.
Looking forward to cyclocross comeback
For Van Aert, Paris-Roubaix is still a point on the horizon. The Kempen rider will first return to cyclocross. Visma | Lease a Bike has now revealed the cyclocross schedule for their Belgian top rider. Van Aert will race eight events this winter. He starts on December 20th with the World Cup in Antwerp. In this World Cup cross, he will immediately face his eternal rival Mathieu van der Poel.
The World Championships in Hulst are not currently on his program, but his team is keeping the door ajar (just like last year). “I’m not saying no completely to the World Championships. As far as we’re concerned, the door is slightly open. We will make that decision later, but for now, the World Championships are not part of our plans,” Head of Performance Mathieu Heijboer said in an interview with our website.
Wout van Aert
