"I just wasn't feeling well in the race" - Wout van Aert's slow start to road season continues with Omloop Het Nieuwsblad disappointment
Cycling
There still seems to be something missing from Wout van Aert so far in 2025. The Belgian has failed to make a real impact since returning to the road and on a day of difficulty and struggle at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad on Saturday, the Team Visma | Lease a Bike star again failed to make good on his hopes for victory.
"I just wasn't feeling well in the race. I was never in a good position and didn't have the right legs," he admits honestly in his post-race interview afterwards. "On the Molenberg I was behind the traffic jam, which you know is going to happen. I just wasn't in the right position there, which is why I ended up behind a split," he adds.
Nevertheless though, with the race being decided from a reduced bunch sprint, ordinarily Van Aert would have really fancied his chances. Even this though, failed to materialise any success as he came home in 11th. "I didn't have enough confidence in my sprint, because I had already felt that I didn't have the best legs," he concludes. "I tried, but there was nothing left."
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Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2025
🇧🇪 #OHN25
— Team Visma | Lease a Bike (@vismaleaseabike) March 1, 2025
Wout sprinted to a place of honour in Ninove.
No four in a row for us in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. 😉 Congrats, Søren Wærenskjold and @UnoXteam. pic.twitter.com/w7kmhMsDhv
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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