Lennert Van Eetvelt will not be lining up for the Vuelta a España this weekend, a blow both for him and his team Lotto. The Belgian had circled the Spanish Grand Tour as one of his primary objectives for 2025, but his campaign was disrupted after a crash during the Tour de France forced him to abandon. Missing the Vuelta marks another setback in a season where his ambitions have consistently been interrupted.
The disappointment is larger when weighed against his 2024 performances. At just 24 years old, Van Eetvelt had positioned himself as one of Belgium’s most promising stage racers, winning both the UAE Tour and the Tour of Guangxi. However, he has been unable to replicate that form this year. After starting the Tour de France, he struggled to make an impact. His withdrawal on stage 15 came after two difficult weeks, with his best finish only 47th in the stage 13 time trial to Peyragudes.
The Vuelta will still see an impressive roster, with Jonas Vingegaard, João Almeida, Juan Ayuso, and Tom Pidcock all targeting success.
For Van Eetvelt, however, attention now shifts elsewhere. Lotto confirmed to WielerFlits that the Canadian one-day races in Québec and Montréal are the planned comeback point. “If all goes well, he’ll definitely restart in Canada,” the team explained, underlining that the priority is to ease him back into competition gradually.
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While fans may have hoped to see him battle again in a three-week race, his recovery takes the priority here. The Canadian GP series offers a chance to return to racing without the pressure of Grand Tour demands. For Van Eetvelt, it could provide the reset he needs after a year that has not gone according to plan, and maybe he will be able to race next month’s world championships in Rwanda too.
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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.
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- 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
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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