Christophe Laporte will not start Le Samyn on the very day Team Visma | Lease a Bike had hoped to turn the page on a disrupted opening to 2026.
Wout van Aert’s long-awaited return to racing was meant to reset the narrative. Instead, hours before the Belgian one-day race, the team confirmed via social media: “Unfortunately, Christophe Laporte will not be at the start of Le Samyn. He's not feeling 100% fit.”
It is not a dramatic withdrawal. There is no confirmed crash or serious injury. But in the context of Visma’s first two months of the season, it feels painfully familiar.
Another interruption on a key day
Laporte’s absence matters. The Frenchman is one of the team’s most reliable Classics operators, capable of both protecting Van Aert deep into a race and finishing strongly himself in selective sprints. On a cobbled course like Le Samyn, that depth is not a luxury. It is part of the structure.
Instead, Visma line up lighter than planned on a day already heavy with expectation.
Van Aert’s return alone carries significance. His winter was derailed by an ankle fracture and subsequent surgery, before illness forced him to miss Opening Weekend. Le Samyn was supposed to mark a clean restart. Now, even that comes with a caveat.
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A season of poorly timed setbacks
Laporte’s late absence slots into a broader pattern that has shaped Visma’s early 2026 campaign.
Jonas Vingegaard saw his own build-up disrupted by a training crash in Spain and subsequent illness that delayed his season debut. Sepp Kuss was forced out of the Tour of Oman due to illness. Laporte himself abandoned at Ruta del Sol after a crash. Matthew Brennan crashed at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad before producing an immediate response at Kuurne Brussel Kuurne.
None of these incidents alone defines a season. Together, they have repeatedly broken momentum at key moments.
Christophe Laporte puts on the Yellow Jersey after winning stage 1 of the 2026 Vuelta a Andalucia
For a team that built its recent dominance on precision planning and collective strength, the timing has been particularly damaging. Leaders have struggled to string together uninterrupted preparation blocks. Supporting riders have missed key race days. Tactical cohesion has been tested earlier than expected.
Le Samyn was meant to be about Van Aert’s comeback. It still is. But once again, Visma arrived at a Belgian cobbled start line adjusting to circumstances rather than executing a clean plan.
In isolation, Laporte not feeling fully fit is minor. In the context of 2026 so far, it reinforces a narrative that refuses to go away.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- I see I missed a lot during my boycott.Jumpyjohn05-11-2026
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- 18 broken bones. 78 crashes, among 30 rider per year is a lot. so for a rider over 15 seasons, they will break their bones 7-8 times and crash 38 times.abstractengineer04-11-2026
- i dont think he is ready ot win against the top 2 or the 2nd rung of evenepoel, del toro , Almeida. In the third week in the TDF he was very very defensive, no attacks. i think he was exhausted. right now he needs time not the brutal Giro or the intense TDF.abstractengineer04-11-2026
- Rota is an excellent rider to get in a break with because he always does his turnchapmanesque04-11-2026
- That 3000 extra that the Tour de France is built up in the flat stages
Rafionain-Glas04-11-2026 - maybe this is something else they can protest in the streets of France.mij04-11-2026
- his Roubaix win was amazing. not to take anything away from him - arguably one of MVDP's wins was at the expense of a WVA flat - but so many things need to line up to get one of these. He had a perfect race with fewer bike issues on an attritional course. And crazy strong as usual. Glad he got this done.mij04-11-2026
- Orts was a super smart signing with the new rules regarding cross and UCI pointsmij04-11-2026
- Podcast sounds great. Two so called experts stating the f*cking obvious.wrsty04-11-2026
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🇧🇪 #LeSamyn Unfortunately, Christophe will not be at the start of Le Samyn. He's not feeling 100% fit.
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