Wout van Aert is starting his season at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. He is back on the bike and trained Tuesday morning with a small part of the team in Spain. However, he still cannot walk. Spring remains the most important goal for the 31-year-old Belgian leader of Visma | Lease a Bike, while in the autumn he will go to the Vuelta a España 2026 as a co-leader.
"In spring, I want to be competitive from Omloop Het Nieuwsblad through to Paris-Roubaix. I want to show myself everywhere and seize every opportunity that arises," says Van Aert. "Unlike previous seasons, I will start again in the Italian classics Strade Bianche and Milan-San Remo. After my victory in Siena during last year’s Giro d’Italia, I realized that Strade Bianche, despite the course changes, still suits my strengths well. I consider Strade Bianche and Milan-San Remo among the most beautiful races of the season, so I definitely don’t want to miss them next year."
Tour and Vuelta
Of course, Monuments like the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, and Milan-San Remo remain the main goals of the season for the Belgian, but later in the year he also has major events such as the Tour de France, the Vuelta a España, and the World Championships in Canada. "Looking at the Tour’s route, the team time trial immediately appeals to me. My first Tour in 2019 had a team time trial as the second stage in Brussels, which we won. I still look back on that with great pleasure. For the upcoming season, we have a strong selection, and I also see several opportunities to go for stage wins myself.”
“I still have unfinished business with the Vuelta,” grins Van Aert, who had to abandon in 2024 after his infamous knee crash. He was then leader in the points and mountains classifications. “It was a painful exit, but I’m returning with a lot of motivation. Together with the team, we can certainly achieve something great there. Besides that, the World Championships in Canada have been on my mind for a long time. I see the Vuelta as the ideal preparation to be at my best there. Winning a Monument in 2026 would be the cherry on top of my career, but above all, I hope to ride a consistent season. The past years have had their ups and downs, so I’m mainly dreaming of a worry-free season. Then the results will naturally follow."
Wout van Aert| Race | Date |
|---|---|
| Omloop Het Nieuwsblad | 28 Feb |
 Strade Bianche | 7 Mar |
| Tirreno-Adriatico | 9 Mar - 15 Mar |
| Milano-Sanremo | 21 Mar |
| E3 Saxo Classic | 27 Mar |
| Ronde van Vlaanderen | 5 Apr |
 Paris-Roubaix | 12 Apr |
| Tour de France | 4 Jul - 26 Jul |
 Vuelta a España | 22 Aug - 13 Sep |
 UCI World Championship Montréal | 27 Sep |
