"He can become a rival" - Wout van Aert does not rule out facing Tadej Pogacar at the Vuelta a España's explosive stages
Cycling
Wout van Aert arrives at the Vuelta a España 2026 in good shape and eager to make his mark from day one. The Team Visma | Lease a Bike rider admits the past few weeks have been key to regaining confidence on the time trial bike, especially after the elbow injury that affected his build-up.
“In the last two or three weeks I’ve had no elbow issues from the injury when I’m on the time trial bike,” Van Aert said before the start in comments to Het Laatste Nieuws. The Belgian tackles a different Vuelta to recent years after a summer without the Tour de France. “It’s been a long summer, a bit different than usual, without the Tour. It’s nice to be back at the Vuelta.”
The time trial, first big opportunity
Van Aert’s first target is clear: Saturday’s opening time trial. The route in Monaco suits him on paper, though he warns it is technically demanding.
“The goal is to be as successful as possible at this Vuelta. That starts, of course, with Saturday’s time trial. In recent weeks I’ve gone back to working a bit more on it,” he noted.
Van Aert has already reconned the course and found sections he considers especially testing. “The time trial should fit my characteristics. Yesterday morning I did the recon and even tried to ride it through traffic. It might be a course that’s a bit too technical.”
The decisive section will come in the final kilometers, where the Belgian hopes to exploit one of the time trial bike’s key advantages: the ability to take risks and hold high speed. “In the finale you have to go above the limit, which you can do on a time trial bike. We’ll see how it goes, but in any case, the setting here in Monaco is fantastic.”
The red jersey, a dream
The time trial could also open the door to one of Van Aert’s major personal goals: pulling on the Vuelta’s red leader’s jersey again.
The Belgian knows he will have little margin to keep it. “We’ll hit the mountains quite quickly, so I won’t have much time to try to take the red jersey. But with the time trial and stage two I’ll have good opportunities.”
He does not hide how special it would be to wear the leader’s symbol again. “It would be a dream to wear the jersey again.”
A team geared to stage wins
Beyond the general classification, Van Aert arrives with a philosophy that has worked for him before. He recalls that at last year’s Giro the team was not specifically focused on the GC, but on hunting stage wins, a strategy he particularly enjoyed.
“It may sound strange, but at last year’s Giro we also weren’t really focused on the general classification. Then we were more focused on getting wins for me and for Olav. I liked that way of racing.”
His most recent Vuelta experience also fuels his confidence. “The last time we were at the Vuelta we were successful as well, when we went for stage wins. It gives confidence knowing the whole team is behind me if needed.”
Brennan and Van Aert, two cards for Visma
How Visma shares opportunities could be one of the race’s interesting threads. Van Aert does not rule out sharing leadership with Matthew Brennan, depending on each stage profile.
“It’s possible Brennan gets his chance on the easier stages and I do on the harder ones. The race will decide how it all unfolds, but I’m convinced we’ll both get opportunities.”
For the Belgian, the collective goal comes before any individual ambition. “As long as someone from Visma | Lease a Bike wins, that’s fine.”
Pogacar can reshape the script
Tadej Pogacar’s presence could also alter how some stages are raced. Van Aert believes the champion can turn days that might normally favour others into full-blown battles for victory.
“Pogacar’s presence changes a lot in races. He can become a rival on those ‘intermediate stages’ that also suit me.”
Juan LarraCycling Journalist
Juan Larra is a writer for Cyclinguptodate and editor-in-chief of Ciclismoaldia, where he has played a central role since its inception. Under his leadership, the website has become a trusted source for professional cycling coverage, offering in-depth analysis, news, and feature stories.
A sports journalist with over 20 years of experience, Juan earned his degree in Journalism from the University of Seville in 2007. He began his career covering a wide range of sports—including football, basketball, Formula 1, MotoGP, tennis, and cycling—for platforms such as the official La Liga app, Vodafone and Movistar websites, NBA Blogdebasket, and Cadena Cope, honing his skills in writing and editorial management.
In addition to his work at Ciclismoaldia, Juan contributes to Cyclinguptodate and serves as editor-in-chief for the tennis-focused site Tenisaldia. Throughout his career, he has conducted exclusive interviews with cyclists and sports figures, provided detailed analysis of competitions ranging from local Spanish races to major international events, and acted as a special correspondent at prestigious races including Paris-Roubaix, the Tour de France, and the Vuelta a España.
Juan’s combination of experience, expertise, and direct access to athletes has established him—and the platforms he leads—as authoritative voices in professional cycling.
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- Where Merckx just rode every single race he could and won all the time, Hinault won less often (percentage wise) because he was more judicious in what he raced. His palmares are nuts. He had amazing rivals, one to start his career and another to end it in the grand tours. His classics were solid. What sets him apart from Merckx and Pogačar are that he basically dabbled in the classics while the other two love(d) them. I used to compare Pogačar to Hinault for his grand tour record and occasional classics win, until I realized that the comparison was wrong. Pogačar loves the classics - ah, the memory of his reaction to finishing fourth in a 2 person sprint in Flanders in ‘22: utter domination in any one day race since then, even when he doesn’t win. Hinault lived for the grand tours and I don’t think anyone else will ever reach his record. 10 wins in 13 attempts? Good lord. An amazing rider. Wish there was more footage to watch.RidesHills11-11-2026
- I had no idea about that either.
santiagobenites10-11-2026 - great analysis thanks! appreciate you posting this. I didn't realize CX had a different standard for deviation. this is even more egregious it seems.mij10-11-2026
- As he isn't currently with Red Bull, I guess if he want to race for one more year he needs to find a team. He's 37 so this will be his last year I would guess, unless he wants to race for almost nothing like Froome did.awp10-11-2026
- I think some are making much ado about nothing. Even though Jonas is getting older, before his crash in the Tour, he looked like a solid 2nd all the way home. No one can really climb with Tadej until this year, Eric Mas showed himself which I think was a one off year for him and Paul Seixas has been able to be pretty close to him. Whatever stage race Jonas enters as long as Tadej is not there he is a favorite to win.awp10-11-2026
- Giro or not Giro, he won't win the Tour!MajorPayne10-11-2026
- Very true.awp10-11-2026
- Ciccone had a very strong end of season. Consistently attacking and livening up races. Hope he makes that last leap in progress and starts notching some significant wins. Great rider to watch.Occam10-11-2026
- Me too!!!!!Occam10-11-2026
- they can sign any 100 of top riders today but Pogi will win over Remco any time at the TDF unless something goes wrongabstractengineer10-11-2026
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