"I'll also win Liège and Lombardia" - Wout van Aert aiming to win all five monuments

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.