PRESS CONFERENCE | “I’m not thinking about retiring whatsoever” - Wout van Aert opens up on motivation, injury doubts and a return to the Italian classics

Wout van Aert faced the media during a January Team Visma | Lease a Bike press day with a lot on the table at once, from Simon Yates surprise retirement to his own injury recovery and a classics calendar that is still being finalised. CyclingUpToDate were there document it in full.

The Belgian made it clear he is not interested in neat narratives that link team events together, stressing he still feels supported and at home after seven years in the set-up. On motivation and burnout, he pushed back on sweeping conclusions, arguing that the sport is still a dream for many riders.

A big chunk of the conversation focused on his rehab and the uncertainty that comes with it. Van Aert described the ankle problem as a complicated mix of fracture and torn ligament, admitting he is not fully confident about the impact of missed training weeks and calling his early-season build-up a question mark.

He also outlined the broad shape of his spring, with Omloop confirmed, Strade Bianche and Milano-Sanremo highlighted as key targets, and a return to the traditional classics rhythm that brings Flanders and Roubaix back into sharper focus.

Is there something special about this team, or is it all connected to the recent retirement news?
A few questions you asked there, so I think the news of Simon was a big surprise for me. I was not aware that he was struggling with his motivation, I believe. So, yeah, that was surprising for everyone, but also for us in the team. It may sound strange, but it is literally how I explain it. Yeah, I think it’s too easy to link these events to each other, I would say. You can also say I’ve been in this team for seven years now, and I’ve been a very happy person, well supported, and always feeling at home. So, yeah, I don’t feel like there’s putting more stress here or whatsoever. So, yeah, that’s my answer to that.

There’s been a lot of talk about motivation and long careers lately. Where do you stand on that?
Yeah, of course I can understand. I know how hard professional cycling is, or professional athletes in general, I believe. But, yeah, I think it’s still just a few riders where it did happen, and there’s still also a lot of riders who are just living their dream life. So, yeah, at least from a personal side, I’m always happy as a kid when I’m back on the bike, even though it’s a hard period or something. So, I do understand it, but, yeah, I think it’s tricky to make some general thing from it.

How long do you think you have left at the very top?
The very top? That’s hard to say, but as long as I feel like I can be valuable, let’s say, and chase my own goals, then I want to keep going. So far I’m not thinking about retiring whatsoever.

What keeps you motivated when you have to go back into recovery again and again?
Yeah, first of all, sometimes you get really tired of it, and I think it’s also okay to be and to be done with it for a few days. But then, yeah, there’s still a lot to win, and there’s also, even just a few weeks ago, moments where you’re riding in between amazing crowds and meeting a lot of your fans and stuff like that, that really still motivates you. So, yeah, it’s more natural to look ahead of me and what’s still possible than to keep down, let’s say.

Do those big moments from last season help keep belief when things are not perfect?
Yeah, for sure. I think last season I was not as consistent as I want. So these big moments, like the two you mentioned, they really help me to believe even if not everything is going well. For example, now I’m still one of the best bike riders in the world, and there will follow moments where I can show it off. So, for sure, this moment helped me to confront that and to keep believing.

Why go back to Strade Bianche and Milan San Remo, and return to the Italian classics?
The most important reason? That these are really beautiful races that I don’t want to miss for the rest of my career. That was always in my head, even at the moment when I was choosing to do differently. I already knew there was going to be a point where I would race these races again. So, yeah, because I really like the Italian classics as well, and I want to be on the start line again.

What’s your take on the classics squad with some key riders leaving?
Yeah, I think there are a few guys leaving. Especially Dylan was always really close on my side in these classics, so it will be difficult to replace him. On the other hand, we missed Christophe already two spring seasons, I believe. So, yeah, he will definitely be there if he’s in shape. There are a few new guys, like Timo Kielich, for example, who is still really developing. So, I’m confident we will be there with a strong team again, and we will be fine.

What was lacking last year in the classics, in your opinion?
Almost nothing. It was just two riders who were really strong, and stronger than us and the others.

How do you see the preparation and partnership with Mathieu Jorgenson, including at the Vuelta?
I think for the Vuelta we didn’t make a clear plan yet. There are a few things we need to take into account. I think Mathieu is for sure faster than me on a completely flat sprint. So even if the stage is hard, if the sprint is flat, it’s probably more suitable for him. Then there is the fact that he will race his first Grand Tour, so nobody knows how he will go after ten days. So we should also put the pressure off him and let him experience this. The most important is that we go really well together and we understand each other. I’m even proud that he’s so open to learn from me. That’s pretty cool, so I think we will be successful together.

In the classics, if you both make it to a sprint for the win, how do you decide who goes?
We didn’t make a clear plan for that. Talking about the bigger group sprints, there are very few chances. Maybe Omloop, like we saw last year. But all the other classics I don’t see us arriving with a group sprint where we have to decide who is going to do the sprint. Even then we won’t make a good plan for that.

Can you explain how it goes from now to your first race?
Hopefully I can improve in this camp and heal up even more, so I can end the camp with almost normal training. That’s my main goal. I’m not sure if that will work, but the first two weeks will be still a question mark. If that goes well, I will have an altitude camp in Sierra Nevada in February. I’m coming back just before the opening weekend. From there on I want to be as good as possible in the races where I will be lining up all the way to Europe.

Your race programme looks shorter in places. Is it not a full programme yet?
We still need to decide which races we will do. I will do Omloop for sure, but then races like E2, E3, Kuurne, we still have to make a final decision. Even now, even more with injury, will I be, like planned, in really good shape already in Omloop, or am I still a bit on the back foot? Maybe I need a race more or just a race less. For sure there’s a main focus on Strade Bianche and San Remo. From then on I think I will make the decision to be as good as possible in Flanders and Roubaix and see where it’s needed.

From your point of view, what is the magic of Paris Roubaix?
It’s almost completely different than any other race. Probably the only race where the next day you woke up and you feel completely broken. On Tuesday you wake up again and you still feel the same. There’s so much impact on your body to go over these cobbles. The last hour of the race is almost more like a survival than a real race. It’s very different. So much can happen. Bad luck and stuff like that. It’s a race where you really have to keep your head cool. And it’s mythical.

To win Roubaix, is it mythical for you too?
Yeah, of course. Arguably it’s the best race in the calendar.

Was the puncture on Carrefour de l’Arbre the biggest disappointment of your career?
Yeah, it was a big disappointment. But I’m not really busy with lining up or making a list of what’s the biggest disappointment. But that was definitely a shit moment, yeah.

Looking back to earlier in your career, was that the most enjoyable period, with less pressure?
I’m also not making a list of the most enjoyable periods. But let’s say that was obviously a really cool period. Also coming from the COVID lockdown, it was also because of that pretty cool to be able to race again and be on the road again with your mates. And then being so successful was of course my real breakthrough, I would say. But yeah, after that I’ve had some really good moments as well. So it’s hard to say.

Was it worth it to skip Strade and Milan San Remo in recent years?
Yeah, I think so. I was just unlucky in 24. And last year in 25, I think I was on a really good level. But others were better. And I think for sure it was worth it to try a different approach.

Do you believe you can be at the same level in the classics with this approach?
Yeah, I think it’s also fair to say that I was not, at least in 25, because I think in 24 I was really good when I crashed out in the Tour de Flanders. But in 25, it’s fair to say that I was not showing something that I was so much better than I was in the years when I did the full program in March, let’s say. But I think that didn’t make my decision. Like I said, it was for me a plan like, OK, I want to try to improve just 1% maybe with doing this. But I always want to go back to a traditional schedule where I am able to fight also for San Remo and Strade Bianche. It was never my goal to change something like, hopefully it works and we can skip it for the rest of my career. That was always a plan to come back to what I will be doing now, because the chances there are also pretty good. So it would be a shame to skip it every year.

Who are the three biggest competitors to win the cobbled classics this year, in your opinion?
Yeah, Pogacar, Van der Poel and Pedersen probably, yeah. You asked me the three competitors, then you didn’t ask about myself.

From the beginning of your career, everything has been about the rivalry with Mathieu van der Poel. What’s left of that rivalry now?
That’s a good question. I think there’s still a rivalry between us, but the rivalry has always been bigger for you guys, I think, than for us. Not only for you guys, but for the outside in general. In cyclocross, it’s always more visible, because we ended up always in front of the others. It always seemed like we were just racing against each other. In road, that’s always very different. There’s always more riders involved in the race. Already today, doing a couple of classics, there’s a big competitor there as well. It’s still there, but of course Mathieu’s palmares is a bit bigger than mine.

Just before the crash, did you have the feeling you could beat him that day?
I came back to him, and I also had the feeling I had the chance to win the race, but it didn’t happen.

Are you fully confident that the ankle won’t be a problem in the Tour of Flanders, including the missed training weeks?
No, not fully confident, of course not. It’s a complicated injury. It’s a fracture and also a ripped off ligament. If I was a runner or anything else, I would be out for months. Hopefully, as a cyclist, it will be good enough, but at this point I cannot tell you.

Are you concerned about some recent sprint losses, and have you analysed why?
Good question. Of course, we analysed it, and it’s never nice to lose a sprint, but I think every sprint is very different and always has a different explanation. Maybe sometimes the explanation is just that the other rider was better or more fresh, or what else. We always try to improve, and that’s the only thing we can do.