"I said to myself: now it’s time to switch" - Wout van Aert enters Tour of Flanders with new tactics in mind
Cycling
Team Visma | Lease a Bike and Wout van Aert enter the Tour of Flanders in the role of outsiders, and will have to innovate or surprise if they want to take the win against colossal rivals such as Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogacar.
“It remains very special to receive so much encouragement so early and far before the final. You really don’t get used to that. I did get a bit nervous because of that presentation. But I also enjoyed it immensely," the Belgian admitted to Wielerflits before the start of today's race.
After Dwars door Vlanderen, van Aert's decision proved to be a big mistake and he couldn't get the confidence boost he was looking for. That changed things ahead of today's race: “We had a good debriefing. On Thursday morning I said to myself: now it’s time to switch. Then I spent three long days looking forward to this moment.”
One potential tactic is to try and break the peloton as they did earlier this week and try a collective attack, but “that is very difficult in the Tour, but we showed on Wednesday that that is our way of racing. We have been successful very often. That will stay in the back of our minds". They did manage to leave Mads Pedersen in the dust on that occasion, so the chances of succeeding with such a move do exist even against the 'big two'.
Echelons are also a possibility, with the wind that is felt today. However van Aert points that the unusual wind direction may actually play a big role in the finale of the race. "Very often you have a south-westerly wind in Belgium, now an easterly wind," he points out.
"That is not to the advantage of the escapee, but the race is so tough that everyone is often exhausted on that last section after the Paterberg. But there are more sections in the final where the wind is now against you, where it normally isn´t. That could influence the race, yes.”
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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