Wout van Aert has officially kicked off his 2025 road
season, but his performances so far have sparked some discussion. While it is
still very early in the year, and form naturally builds over time, some fans
have noted that he has not yet been at his best. Given the Belgian’s reputation
as one of the true elite riders in the peloton, it is understandable that any
signs of struggle prompt these sort of questions.
Van Aert is coming off an injury-ridden 2024 road season,
where he suffered two significant crashes. If we take a look back at last year,
it all started going wrong at Dwars door Vlaanderen, where he broke his
collarbone and was forced to miss major spring classics, including the Tour of
Flanders.
Later in the year, his Vuelta a Espana campaign was cut
short following another crash in Stage 16, which led to his abandonment when he
was leading the points and mountains classifications. While he was able to
return to cyclocross in the winter and showed strong form at points, road
racing is overall more of a dangerous sport due to the high speeds and road
surfaces. Could this be a factor?
2025 so far
Van Aert made his 2025 road debut at Clasica Jaén, but his
performance did not meet the usual high expectations. He finished 24th, a
result that his team openly admitted was disappointing. "We certainly
expected more," Team Visma | Lease a Bike’s DS stated after the race.
However, Van Aert himself remained calm, saying, "I'm certainly not bad,
but I felt that I wouldn't win."
The debate about Van Aert’s current level continued at the Volta
ao Algarve, where he had ambitions to fight for a sprint victory yesterday but
was hindered by poor positioning. He acknowledged the issue, stating, "I
lost too many positions there to ride a good sprint."
Benji Naesen further observed on Twitter that "Wout van
Aert seemed a bit uncomfortable fighting for positions, losing 3 places in
every corner leading up to the sprint." This has led to speculation about
whether he is struggling to regain his confidence in tight racing situations, a
crucial aspect of his ability to contest for wins.
Too early to worry
Despite these early struggles, former professional and
cycling analyst Johan Bruyneel has downplayed any major concerns about Van
Aert’s form. "There is no reason to worry about Wout van Aert,"
Bruyneel assured, believing that Van Aert is simply working towards his peak
and will be in top shape when it matters most for races like the Tour of
Flanders.
Van Aert himself remains focused on improving. "Win? I
really want that, yes," he has said in the Algarve, and surely it won’t take
much longer before we see Van Aert back to his brilliant best.
While there is little doubt about Van Aert’s physical
ability, the mental impact of last year’s crashes should not be overlooked.
Riders who experience major accidents often need time to regain their
confidence in the chaos of the peloton. This could explain why he appeared
hesitant in positioning battles at the Volta ao Algarve.
While Van Aert’s opening performances of 2025 have not set
the world alight, it is too soon to sound any alarm bells. He is returning from
a difficult 2024 season and is gradually building back to his peak, and naturally
this will take some time.
His struggles with positioning in the sprints could
hint at lingering mental barriers from last year’s crashes, but he has time to
refine his form. As Johan Bruyneel pointed out, the real goal is to peak for
the Tour of Flanders, and if Van Aert can progress steadily in the coming
weeks, there may be no reason for concern at all.
Wout van Aert seemed a bit uncomfortable fighting for positions, losing 3 places in every corner leading up to the sprint. 🤔 #VoltaAoAlgarve
— Benji Naesen (@BenjiNaesen) February 21, 2025
Fin MajorCycling Journalist
Fin Major is a UK-based writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2024. He is the site’s main writer for FAQs and evergreen explainers and has written around 2,000 pieces for the platform. Alongside this work, he focuses on in-depth analysis and covers the biggest races on the calendar, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, providing clear context around performance trends, tactics, and key storylines.
In his reporting, Fin uses reputable data sources such as ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. Outside of writing, Fin is an active cyclist, which supports his practical understanding of the sport and its demands.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- I get the point totally. We live in the snowflake society where some riders forget they are getting paid to ride and get results. When they have a few issues they try to look outside of the real issue instead of themselves. It odd so many of the team are making no complaints and getting on with their job. If you do not like what you do find another job simples. Tough love as my mum would say.paultryan200207-11-2026
- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment