"A new mindset was born" - Tour de France win convinced Wout Van Aert that Pogacar and van der Poel were beatable in Roubaix

Wout Van Aert is now a Paris-Roubaix winner, in an era where the monuments are almost exclusively dominated - not just won - by a mere two riders. The Team Visma | Lease a Bike has finally captured his first one in the cobbles after many years of pursuit and shares how the 2025 Tour de France win in Paris had a big role to play in that.

On that day, the final stage of the Tour de France was neutralized due to the rain, but Tadej Pogacar remained in the fight for the stage win as he had a real chance of winning in Paris with the yellow jersey, an almost unique achievement in the modern era. The cobbled climb of the Montmartre was in the way, where he made the difference to all but Van Aert - who on the final lap attacked himself and took a solo win.

All of a sudden, even if on special circumstances, Pogacar became beatable. Van Aert was in fact the only rider to drop the World Champion off his wheel in a race scenario throughout the entire season - which continues to hold until today.

“It did something for my morale. At that moment I was maybe a bit too convinced that riders like Tadej Pogacar and Van der Poel are hard to beat on short cobbled climbs," Van Aert admitted in words to Sporza. “Of course it was the final day of the Tour. I was fresher than Pogacar, but it still made me realize I had something left in my legs. A new mindset was born".

The spring was far from perfect, with a broken ankle in January threatening the entire campaign. Somehow however, it led to Van Aert reaching peak form in time for Milano-Sanremo and carrying it all the way into Roubaix. It was a long block of preparation but the outcome was visible.

“I was exhausted after the recon on Thursday. I didn’t feel good," he said of the days leading up the 'Hell of the North'. "As a rider you want to feel good every day. It was a strange build up. On Saturday I felt hungry again".

Whilst Visma had their Gravaa tyre pressure system also banned only days leading up to the race, neither of these factors ended up negatively affecting the Belgian, who took initiative himself on the Arenberg and Orchies to attack the favourites' group. From there on the mission was clear, hang on with Tadej Pogacar, and win in a sprint on the velodrome.

“The hyperfocus took over. I was on Pogacar’s wheel, where I wanted to be. I didn’t doubt myself anymore and I was ready to sprint. I was no longer aware of what was happening around me," he recalls.

“It’s strange to say, but that Sunday it immediately felt like a relief. I had to be patient for a long time. That made it more special.”

The achievement has been conquered, and his spring campaign is now concluded. Van Aert will now begin to prepare towards the Tour de France but without carrying such weight on his shoulders. “Even for me, the madness and the emotions of people are sometimes hard to understand. I just do my job and chase my dream. It’s nice to be part of a great team and a great sport. I never started to be a role model.”

He is a very popular rider world-wide and in Belgium specially, and he admits he enjoys how his story became one of those that the fans were the most committed to. “I do enjoy it. Inspiring kids is the best thing there is. The admiration in their eyes… I think it’s good that I don’t try to understand it too much.”

“I can’t think of a bigger highlight in my career. I hope there are more successes to come, but for now I’m still enjoying it," he concluded.