"Just one serious crash away from quitting" - Thomas De Gendt hopes Wout Van Aert's career will go on as long as possible
CyclingTuesday, 18 August 2026 at 23:00
Wout Van Aert is a fan-favourite (not only) in Belgium for a variety of reasons. One of them is his close bond with fans which he built back in his days as cyclocrosser, and which has only blossomed since then. As Belgium's last world champion (three times), Van Aert is naturally held in high esteem.
Simply a lovely person
But it's not only his engaging racing style which attracts the attention of masses. Thomas De Gendt highlights Van Aert's personality as a key to maintaining great reputation also off the bike. The former professional illustrates this with an anecdote about a borrowed altitude tent in Spain.
When De Gendt returned two months later, everything was neatly set up with a bottle of champagne and a thank-you note. "He didn't have to do that, but that's just how he is: friendly," De Gendt writes in his Cyclingnews column.
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After switching to road cycling, Van Aert became very successful there as well, even though bad luck with injuries at times might've prevented him from ever reaching his full potential. That is why his 2026 Paris-Roubaix victory was such a celebrated moment as much by his fans as by Van Aert himself.
People do love outsiders
Especially since the Visma rider has never really started a Monument among the biggest favourites in presence of his long-time rival Mathieu van der Poel. And more recently also Tadej Pogacar. And that's why De Gendt believes separates him from the double Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel.
"We Belgians love underdogs," explains De Gendt. "Remco Evenepoel says beforehand that he is going to win, and if that doesn't happen, some people are happy about it," he analyzes.
Wout Van Aert wins the 2026 Paris-Roubaix
Importance of Vuelta
Even though Van Aert cleared one massive milestone out of his bucket list, the rest of the 2026 season has once again not been a walk in the park. Although Van Aert has been winning slightly more often than usual, his level was on a rollercoaster which caused him to miss the Tour de France.
That's a shame, but also a new opportunity for Van Aert who returns to Vuelta a Espana as Visma's leader alongside young sprinter Matthew Brennan. In absence of Jonas Vingegaard, it's a rare opportunity to assert himself for the 31-year-old. That leadership role might gradually shift towards the team's younger riders, but Van Aert can remind everyone of his greatness at the Grand Tour stage.
"He can put his foot down and say that he is riding only for himself," states De Gendt. He will not sacrifice his own chances for just any teammate. And the Vuelta will be just as important a platform for Van Aert's ambitions at Montreal World Championships one month later... at least until the reigning champion decides to make it his own show once again: "Everyone has a plan until Pogacar attacks."
Please, no more crashes
Van Aert himself does not specify for how long he plans to continue to race, however De Gendt sees his compatriot's retirement much closer around the corner than we might want to admit, considering Van Aert's injury history. "I think he is only one serious crash away from quitting."
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- UAE man..These guys just insanemiguel18-08-2026
- this is about the most idiotic comment on here - to wish for war to serve one's nation. We're talking about bike racing. which is in part my point about Jonas. it is a bike, you get paid 5 million euro to ride it. You are lucky, go with it.mij18-08-2026
- I am giving my opinion, I think it is an honor to ride for one's nation. My opinion is that if my countrymen asked me to help him win, I would do so. The fact is as a 3x champion, Peter Sagan rode a course he knew he would get crushed on, because he felt it was an honor to ride for his country. And, I'm not the only one that feels this way. Mark Cavendish, Yves Lampaert, Jai Hindlay and more have all said they would never say "no" to their country and the honor of riding for their nation. Jai Hindlay is not a one day racer, he was never going to win last year. But, he said, “To race for your country, there's nothing better . . . it never gets old.” Jai said Worlds was one of the best weeks of his year and said he was “super proud to race for the green and gold.” And again, he is NOT a one day racer, like Jonas. Unlike Jonas, he would never say "no" to represent his country. So, I like Jai better. Maybe it is YOUR opinion that it is not an honor, and you would say no. I don't know Jonas, I'm sure he is a great guy. But I personally don't have respect for a man that complains about making 5 million euro a year for a sport, how hard it is, when 99.9% of the planet will never see that kind of money. And I personally don't have respect for someone that is able to ride but says no to his country, says no to his teammate. You can feel as you wish.mij18-08-2026
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