"I want to put up a fight" - Wout Van Aert ready to take on the best at Middelkerke - Wevelgem
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Team Visma | Lease a Bike have set out in search of a win today at Middelkerke - Wevelgand and the Dutch team's strongest hopes are that Wout Van Aert can do it. Following a tailor-made program, he makes his cobbled classics return for this Sunday's headliner.
The Belgian made the conscious choice to not race the E3 Saxo Classic to put in extra training ahead of the two race days he will use into the Tour of Flanders. This is a choice that he did not regret, despite watching the high-intensity race on TV.
"No, I wasn't disappointed. Unless it was for my teammate Per [Strand Hagenes], who just missed out on the victory," he told Sporza this morning in Middelkerke. "Just like all of Flanders, I was following along on TV. But you make choices, and then you look at the race in a different way."
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The Belgian's form is strong, having shown a high level at Tirreno-Adriatico and then backing that up with a third place at Milano-Sanremo where he finished third despite being involved in Tadej Pogacar's crash - where he lost even more time due to a bike change.
He's now moved into the Belgian classics and Wevelgem is one that suits him well, with less climbs where a rider like Mathieu van der Poel can make the decisive difference, and more gravel and flat roads where his abilities are better suited to.
Visma have Van Aert to play as their main card, however not their only card. Matthew Brennan is an option for a sprint, although his form may not be the best; Whilst former winner Christophe Laporte is, like Van Aert, well suited to any scenario that may be played out. The team does not have Per Strand Hagenes present but has plenty cards to play.
"It would be logical for him (Brennan, ed.) to speculate on the sprint and for me to make the race. But there are a lot of things that can happen between the start and the finish. Gent-Wevelgem (now called Middelkerke-Wevelgem, ed.) is a race that can always go either way, although nowadays the breakaway riders often come out on top. In any case, I want to put up a fight".
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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- 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
- the time for a GC rider to retire is when they cannot win stages, or have a significant level drop like from winner/podium into top 5/10 consistently. Roglic is still competitive and Froome raced even though he became pack fodder.abstractengineer10-11-2026
- He should be in a different team. It was detrimental. For them it does not matter if he does not develop. He should have gone to a team where they need him to succeed.abstractengineer10-11-2026
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