“I’ve already booked my holiday... I want a full month off" — Wout van Aert rules out a surprise appearance at Il Lombardia

Wout van Aert has firmly shut the door on any late-season surprises, joking that not even an Il Lombardia invitation could tempt him back onto the start line before winter.

“I could announce I’m riding Lombardia, but I don’t think anyone would lose sleep over that,” the Belgian laughed in conversation with WielerFlits. “I’ve already booked my holiday and I’ve no intention of changing that.”

The Team Visma | Lease a Bike rider will round off his 2025 road campaign with the Super 8 Classic in Belgium following the Canadian WorldTour double-header in Québec and Montréal. With no World Championships, European Championships, or gravel races on his calendar, it marks an early end to what has been a quietly impressive season — even if it lacked the marquee one-day victories some had anticipated.

By his own admission, Van Aert’s year wasn’t without its struggles. Spring failed to yield a major win, but his consistency saw him collect podiums and top-fives in nearly all the major cobbled and Ardennes classics: second in Dwars Door Vlaanderen and Brabantse Pijl, and fourth in the Ronde van Vlaanderen, Paris-Roubaix, and the Amstel Gold Race.

“It was a good season, but not always an easy one,” he reflected. “I had to grit my teeth more than usual — things didn’t always come naturally. There were a few too many ups and downs for my liking, but when things clicked, they really clicked.”

The highlight reel features two standout stage wins: one in the Giro d’Italia — a gritty gravel triumph in Siena — and another in the Tour de France. Both were achieved in races where Van Aert openly struggled for consistency but showed remarkable resilience and tactical maturity.

“In the Giro, I didn’t feel great during the first week, but through character and experience, I still managed to win that stage to Siena,” he said. “That taught me something. Even with less-than-ideal legs, that kind of win still counts. I’ve learned to believe in myself in those moments too.”

For fans hoping Van Aert might fast-track his return to cyclocross, there’s more disappointment in store. “My last road race is on 20 September. After that, I’m taking at least a full month off,” he confirmed. “I’ll probably only start training again in early November. We’ll take things step by step.”

That likely rules him out of early marquee cross fixtures like the Koppenbergcross, where Thibau Nys has already announced his intent to race. Instead, Van Aert appears to be prioritising rest and recovery — a strategic pause as he looks ahead to another year at the top level, both on and off the road.

For all the headlines Van Aert has generated in recent seasons — from Tour stage wins to classics heartbreak — 2025 may go down as a year of balance and perspective. The numbers are there, the wins still came, and the fire hasn’t dimmed. But for now, the Belgian is looking forward to something far simpler: a well-earned break.

“I want a proper month off,” he smiled. “And I’m not planning on changing that.”