ANALYSIS: The new Visma signing for whom Wout van Aert’s winter-ending injury may be a blessing in disguise

The 2026 road season is almost underway, with the Tour Down Under set to open the calendar on 20 January. Yet before racing has even begun, Team Visma | Lease a Bike face a disruption that could shape their early campaign: Wout van Aert’s ankle fracture, sustained during the cyclocross season and requiring surgery.

The Belgian’s injury brings an abrupt end to what was meant to be a major winter on the mud. He will miss the remainder of the 2025/26 cyclocross campaign, and his availability for the opening races of the road season remains uncertain.

His early-season calendar has not yet been announced, but doubts now hang over his presence in the first Classics of the year.

That absence could leave a significant gap. Van Aert is a central pillar of Visma’s spring ambitions, particularly in the Monuments. And yet, within that setback, the team may also find an unexpected opportunity.

Among Visma’s winter signings is Louis Barre, who joined on a three-year contract after leaving Intermarche – Wanty. His recruitment was made with the Classics firmly in mind, much like that of Timo Kielich. Initially, however, it was Kielich whom the team expected to lean on most heavily.

As Grischa Niermann explained recently, Visma’s priority was to replace the versatility lost with the departure of Tiesj Benoot, particularly in the Classics and Grand Tours. Kielich, in that sense, was viewed as an undervalued rider who had impressed the team even before television coverage began.

But with Van Aert likely to miss at least the opening Classics unless his recovery accelerates dramatically, Visma’s depth is suddenly under scrutiny. Kielich alone may not be enough to compensate. That is where Barre’s role could expand far sooner than originally planned.

At 25, Barre has already completed three full WorldTour seasons. He is still without a professional victory, but his 2025 results underline why Visma saw potential worth investing in.

Over the course of a single season, he recorded top ten finishes across a broad range of one-day races and stage race finales, including Paris Camembert, Amstel Gold Race, the Criterium du Dauphine, GP de Montreal, Classic Var, Trofeo Laigueglia, the Tour de Romandie, GP Industria and Artigianato, the French road championships and the Giro degli Appennini.

Those results, taken together, point to consistency and versatility rather than a single standout performance. For Visma, the challenge now is refinement. Surrounded by one of the strongest support structures in the peloton, Barre represents a rider whose ceiling remains undefined.

Replacing Van Aert, however, is not straightforward. His spring revolves around two immovable objectives: the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. Both Monuments are central to Visma’s identity, and both are races in which Van Aert has repeatedly targeted victory.

Barre has yet to start either event. His Monument experience so far is limited to Liege Bastogne Liege, which he has ridden three times, and Il Lombardia, which he has contested twice. He has also never raced Milano-Sanremo.

If Van Aert is absent from both Flanders and Roubaix, Visma’s ability to fight for wins in those races will inevitably be reduced. In that scenario, Barre’s immediate task would not be leadership, but learning. Experience in the spring Classics would become an investment rather than a short-term solution.

Viewed over the medium and long term, the logic is clear. Barre’s programme should prioritise the spring Classics, not as a replacement for Van Aert, but as preparation for the role Visma hope he can one day fill.

His best professional result so far remains third place at Paris Camembert in 2025, where he shared the podium with Paul Seixas and race winner Lander Loockx. It is not a breakthrough result in isolation, but it reinforces the broader picture of a rider repeatedly close to the front.

Whether 2026 becomes the season where Louis Barre takes a decisive step forward may depend less on results and more on opportunity. With Van Aert sidelined, Visma may be forced to accelerate a process that was always intended to take time.

If so, one of cycling’s most disruptive injuries could also become the moment a new Classics contender begins to emerge.