A feat only achieved by Eddy Merckx, Rik Van Looy and Roger De Vlaeminck in the past, Wout van Aert is looking to become the fourth rider in cycling history to conquer all five monuments.
"I'll also win Liège and Lombardia," van Aert said in a recent interview with Gazzetta dello Sport. Although the Belgian has only so far won Milano-Sanremo, his skillset fits perfectly with races such as the Tour des Flandres and Paris-Roubaix, whilst this year he rode to third at Liège-Bastogne-Liège - and if the years where the route is less climber-friendly, Il Lombardia could become a big goal aswell.
The Jumbo-Visma rider has struggled throughout the last few years due to his sprinting capacity, which often sees him in a defensive position, and with few riders willing to work together with him. Jumbo-Visma however has almost dominated the cobbled classics this year until van Aert was infected with Covid-19 days before Flandres, and will have Paris-Roubaix winner Dylan van Baarle joining the block in 2023.
"Me for Grand Tours? Never," he added, confirming that for now Grand Tours still remain far from his ambitions. The Belgian has not yet attempted to target a Grand Tour. Although his climbing is not at the level of others, he has shown in the past to be able to resist, and with him time-trialing and all-rounder skills some wonder what the Belgian could do in the three-week races if focusing on that goal and having the lead.
For now however that remains a distant thought. Van Aert is likely to aim towards the cyclocross championships, the Tour des Flandres/Paris-Roubaix double, and then the Tour de France/World Championships double in 2023. He will make his debut in cyclocross this winter over the weekend in the Antwerp World Cup.
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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- He lives in Monaco
Rafionain-Glas03-11-2026 - It's also highly significant for Lorenzo Finn as he won there last year. Also Mateo Ramírez and Henrique Bravo if they goRafionain-Glas03-11-2026
- This is a phenomenal course design. I do wish that they'd stretch these tours for the women to at least 2 weeks.RidesHills03-11-2026
- This is an amazing route, honestly. Let's hope that it attracts riders to make it a compelling and competitive race. Side bar amusement: going to Slovenia and passing pretty close to Pogačar's house. I wonder if they were tempting him to get all 3 jerseys at once after winning the Tour and Vuelta. After all, only a very few have ever had all three at the same time (Froome being the last).RidesHills03-11-2026
- He was a child two years agoRafionain-Glas03-11-2026
- A great route aswell. Col d'Arpy is a toughieRafionain-Glas03-11-2026
- Let Torito have a shot at itRafionain-Glas03-11-2026
- A great route, much more exciting than the Tour de France. Monte Livata is an interesting one, because they experimented with it at the 2026 Baby Giro, and it was fantastic. 4 km at 10%, then 10 km at 6.5% made for a great spectacle. The stage 16 is horrible. Montaner is also used in the U23s, in Giro del BelvedereRafionain-Glas03-11-2026
- I remember when Mark went through that. He was really experiencing lows and thought about quiting many times. It took him a long time to recover. I, like many others were overjoyed when he came back. I hope Lafay has been tested. I wish him the best.Paggss03-11-2026
- That sucks for him. I've always wondered what guys like him do after retiring from cycling - go back to uni? He's still a very young manCrashjames03-11-2026
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