OFFICIAL: Wout Van Aert returns to race at the Tour of Denmark, eyeing La Vuelta and World Championships
CyclingMonday, 27 July 2026 at 12:08
It is no longer a rumour and no longer something in doubt: Wout Van Aert returns to racing this Wednesday at the Tour of Denmark. The Belgian rider will be leading Team Visma | Lease a Bike as he returns to racing ahead of his last big goals of the season.
Van Aert rode the spring classics this year where he managed to finally win a cobbled monument for the first time in his career, beating Tadej Pogacar in an exciting finale to Paris-Roubaix. He had built up his form towards the Tour de France this summer but his preparation ahead of the Tour Auvergne-Rhônes-Alpes was less than ideal and a crash saw him get an infection in an elbow wound.
He was forced to skip the Tour de France, lacking the form to be competitive. Jonas Vingegaard then also crashed out of the race, one marked by crashes and illnesses before and during the race - Sepp Kuss was also on his way to winning stage 20 when he fell on the descent to the Alpe d'Huez.
In Paris, the team once again tried to succeed using its stage hunters, but they were no match to Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogacar's attack on Montmartre. “Unfortunately, we were missing a victory in the final week, but I look back on our opening in Barcelona with great satisfaction”, Matteo Jorgenson said in a press release issued by the team.
“As a team, we showed resilience and tried to get the absolute maximum out of the past few days. The Tour de France is always tough, but for me this was by far the hardest edition I have ever ridden. Completely different from previous years. Today was difficult again as well. I’m really proud of the team.”
Wout Van Aert returns to racing at the Tour of Denmark
In 2025 Wout Van Aert flew up Montmarte; this year the team had to settle for a minor result
The team now has to look forward and whilst Vingegaard's return to racing is all but certain, Wout Van Aert will be filling in the shoes over the coming days. The Tour of Denmark takes place from the 29th of July all the way to August 2nd and will feature five stages that present opportunities for the sprinters and classics specialists of the team.
Van Aert will be amongst them, but by no chance a sole leader. With the Vuelta a España and the World Championships on his schedule, this will be a preparation race so as to gather rhythm, and together with Christophe Laporte the duo will be amongst those who have strong credentials to win the overall classification.
The team lineup is completed by Menno Huising, Niklas Behrens and Pietro Mattio of the elite team; joined by two under-23 riders in Ashlin Barry and Jonas Hoydahl.
Read also
Team Visma | Lease a Bike for Tour de Denmark 2026
| Riders |
| Wout van Aert |
| Christophe Laporte |
| Menno Huising |
| Niklas Behrens |
| Pietro Mattio |
| Ashlin Barry |
| Jonas Hoydahl |
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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- Jou verlepte ou doos...back to you fool.mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales27-07-2026
- “Tadej, on behalf of the Netherlands: thank you!” “Tadej, on behalf of the Belgians: thank you!” “Tadej, on behalf of the Mexicans: thank you!” “Tadej, on behalf of the TdF organizers: thank you!”mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales27-07-2026
- Why is Paul Seixas not on the winner's list? He's the youngest TdF rider since the 1930's. Everyone thought he couldn't survive the 3-week tour, and he not only defied that, but he is also the fourth best rider on the tour. He deserves a spot on the list.
PogiFan2Day27-07-2026 - Shame on you -A mstrong not a champ but a doped crookJakob27-07-2026
- > Lance Armstrong praises Tadej Pogacar It's always nice when a true champion praises another true champion.averagecyclist27-07-2026
- This doper couldn't even crack the top 10 without a huge doping program. Zero natural talent for a 3 week race and not a lot for the classics.Cyclingnut27-07-2026
- Totally agree about the route change - even if the pure sprinters never win in Paris again.Crashjames27-07-2026
- Surprising comment from LA - still don’t think tadej will eclipse Eddy for total accomplishments as a cyclistCrashjames27-07-2026
- Last year, the Montmarte finale was highly controversial, recieving pressure from GC riders, who said "don't let this jeopardise our Tours" (chiefly Jonas Vingegaard of course) and sprinters, who said "don't let this take away our big opportunity". While the latter part did not cause the GC neutralisation, it added to the pressure. After the magnificent finale it gave, criticism was reduced but one season on that was still not enough for the GC to run to the end. After yesterday's race, very few riders will criticise it. Of the sprinters, only Tim Merlier would dislike it. And the GC riders have got used to it. Next year, it may not be so. And with 2:18 over Seixas, del Toro was certainly breathing s sigh of relief
Rafionain-Glas27-07-2026 - Apparently the course was constantly being strewn with broken glass, nails etc, faster than the sweepers could clear it. And then IDT did get a puncture!Hills3327-07-2026
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