"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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- I wonder if he will throw in gravel races? maybe even CX? It was rumored that he wanted to ride the gravel world championships last year, and even a cross race.mij19-08-2026
- I'd love to have his "dry patch". Last year was one of his worst and he still won a stage in the Giro and TdF.mij19-08-2026
- What's the problem now? They bought a versatile but not excellent at anything good ridervappaxbipmv19-08-2026
- what's all the patriotic BS about anyways here? the point is that nationality-based races have sort of died out in road cycling since many years. back in the days the tdf rosters were nationality-based and they rode in the same jersey. but that is long gone. tell me about any race in road cycling where racing for one's country objectively means something ... an exception maybe being the olympics because you contribute to your country's medal total. but also here, the fame goes mostly to the individual rider. there is no history in nationality-based races in cycling. there is no 'slovenia has won the world championships in road cycling three times in a row'. there is only 'tadej won it (well, will have won it) three times in a row'. so please stop talking about patriotic duties in a discipline where nobody cares about this. you could run the same argument for hockey or many other sports. why do the NHL pros not run for their country in hockey world championships? they don't because in their pro leagues nobody cares. they continue their play-off season over there. according to the argumentation of some of you guys here, all of them would have to be called un-patriotic. heck, back in the days the US even sent their college boys to the basketball olympics instead of the pros. bottom line, nobody cares in cycling about nationalities. cycling races are individual matters. and you cannot impose some patriotic whatever to something where this simply hasn't mattered for ages.Ketterechts19-08-2026
- It was a sarcastic comment in response to Mistermaumau's ridiculous comment about wishing for war to prove loyalty to one's country
Rafionain-Glas19-08-2026 - We also have to read "between the lines. " One of his clauses is "greater control over his race programme." That tells me a lot. Pogi has said on many occasions, that he prefers one day races over stage races. In one day races you give it all you've got, especially if it's a famous one day race like the Monuments or other historical classics, where all the best cyclists show up. No thinkig and calculating about the race that happened yesterday and the race that will be tomorrow or the next day, like in stage races. It's that one day, when you leave your heart on the road. That's what Pogi loves. So my take is: When Pogi will win another 2 to 3 TdF it will be over for him. That's where his clause "greater control over his race programme" will be impemented. That's why he's preparing Del Toro, to take over the Giro, Tour and Vuelta races, and Pogi will concentrate only on one day races in his "old age." He will put on more muscle and weight and race most of the classics. I can hardly wait those days to come!!!PogiSloFans19-08-2026
- Yeah, exactly... you just can't handle the truth. I just don't understand why you hate His Royal Infalible Pogness???PogiSloFans19-08-2026
- One more thing they talked about: Carera did not disclose all the details, while Benson cites the possibility of discussions about copyrights and the use of Pogačar's own advertising material, used to promote his own brand and products. The Tadej Pogačar official logo is “T” and “P” - identifying him. The MET helmets already use this logo. All I can say; We are watcing a legend being "born" and his legacy will go on for decades.PogiSloFans19-08-2026
- Die for your country? What nonsense Raf! I understand that that is a quote from Wilfred Owens anti war poem but you have used it out of context here.Cyclingsbestfan19-08-2026
- seems like he has no plans to retire early. that probably ends all the potential burnout rumors after last year‘s tdf.Ketterechts19-08-2026
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