“Racing in Hamburg today would be much more dangerous" - Why Wout van Aert traded road for gravel before Vuelta a Espana
CyclingSunday, 16 August 2026 at 15:00
Wout van Aert sees less possibility for things to go wrong on the gravel tracks than in the centre of the WorldTour peloton - swapping the ADAC Cyclassics in Hamburg for the Belgian Gravel National Championships less than a week out from the Vuelta a Espana.
The Visma | Lease a Bike rider is gathering momentum after an elbow infection forced him out of the Tour de France. Returning to action in the Tour of Denmark earlier this month, the Belgian has already enjoyed a successful comeback but wants to step it up a level in Spain.
With most riders heading to the Monaco start opting for the Vuelta a Burgos or Tour de Pologne last week, the ADAC Cyclassics also offered an opportunity for van Aert to test the legs in high company, with Jasper philipsen, Olav Kooij, Paul Magnier and Jonathan Milan among the names starting.
However, van Aert returns to one of his favourite playgrounds instead - gravel racing. The 31-year-old will start the National Championships alongside the likes of Greg van Avermaet and Tim Merlier, and expects a lot of support on the road.
“I’ve been looking forward to this day for a while,” Van Aert told Sporza before the start. “I expect a lot of supporters because you don’t often get to race this close to home.”
Van Aert won't take risks in gravel return
With just a week until his new major end-of-season goal, the Paris Roubiax winner won't be trying to take risks, knowing that a gravel win isn't a must for his career. A born racer, van Aert knows that instinct could take over as he focuses on a relaxed approach.
“The most important thing today is to enjoy myself,” Van Aert said. “This race is not going to change much about my career.”
“At some point the competitive instinct will take over and you want to try to win.”
Highlighting the danger of racing and training on roads, he believes that Sunday's Hamburg race resembles more of a risk than the gravel. “Racing in Hamburg today would be much more dangerous,” he said.
Wout van Aert
Dangers of training and racing on roads
“There are always dangers, even when you go training on public roads. I’m not afraid, but I’m not going to take unnecessary risks either.”
Reflecting on his Tour de France disappointment, van Aert sees the glass half full after taking three stage wins and the overall win in Denmark. Things are looking up for the Visma man as he targets more stage wins on the roads of La Vuelta.
“Missing the Tour was obviously a setback,” he said. “I needed some time to get back to a good level, but the Tour of Denmark went better than expected. Everything since then has gone well too.”
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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- It is not IMPOSSIBLE, it just takes good organisation and the right volunteers. Either you use a rolling staff you ferry around in vehicles along alternative routes to place them ahead in time, or you use a rolling staff (who understand the concept of the broom wagon) on motorbikes on the race course. Alternatively, you provide spare motorcyclists or convoy vehicles to stay ahead of those ejected from the peleton to help protect riders from unforeseen dangers. In fact, it should be an option for ANY courtesy (even VIP) or publicity vehicle to be designated by commisaires to accompany riders at the back should the need arise. Gone are the days when you had to rely on walkie talkies with limited range, now everyone is joinable instantly anywhere so it’s just a matter of ORGANISING and WILL Most of all, you design courses that don’t have more side entrances than you can handle or block (lumps of concrete are no longer expensive or difficult to spread around and far harder to get past than the typical roadside barrier many will just shove aside impatiently.Mistermaumau16-08-2026
- I think the race organizers need to get more creative. recruit volunteers - unpaid people from local towns, cyclists perhaps. put someone at every crossing in a race shirt or whatever. give them swag. let them congregate before of after the races with the cyclists. I’ve raced sailboats, running races and cycling events. It is common, and an honor for the volunteers, to give back to their sport. many years ago during the Pan American games I volunteered to work the sailing course. It was awesome to see it all. Get local cyclists to help out. I would love to volunteer to help at a crossing, get swag, meet cyclists and see their bikes, see the full celebration of a race, the podium. there is no creativity, just finger pointing. and while your idea makes sense, to a degree, it could still happen. the motor cars can’t even keep with with him descending. it could have been a car going slow in the same direction, in his dedicated lane, blind corner, and he rear ends them. same tragic results.mij16-08-2026
- WVA has such a great attitude, what an awesome guy for the sport.mij16-08-2026
- all of this is possible with one thing - MONEY. I’m assuming these amateur races are run on a shoestring budget. the biggest issue is the economic model of cycling is so screwed up. millions of spectators get to watch the TdF - for free. just walk up the road. I don’t know the full TV deal, but I don’t think there is adequate revenue sharing. And the big money makers, like the ASO race organizers share nothing (again assumption) with smaller race organizers. teams and riders can’t pay - most teams are close to broke and trying to get sponsors. and of course the litany of complaints against the UCI are valid - ban the super tuck, sock height, bar width, etc. what money the UCI has seems to be allocated to the dumbest things. banning the super tuck, limiting gear ratio, making handlebars super wide, with the right socks does absolutely nothing when a car is on a course and hits a cyclist head on.mij16-08-2026
- EF should not let him go. They should insist on him fulfilling his contract. It’s not a good look for Carapaz to just leave because he’s getting more money. He performed well in TdF because of Ben Healy who sacrificed a lot for Carapaz to get the results that he did.
PogiFan2Day16-08-2026 - The only team who would want him, who has spare money and has good relations with is Ineos . Movistar is out of question. UAE dont need him. No other team that require that kind of rider has money lying around to pay for contract breaking.abstractengineer16-08-2026
- i think riders who have been dropped and are alone need to start following traffic rules to avoid these incidents. Pushing speed in a downhill just increases risk with no benefitsabstractengineer16-08-2026
- This is just poor excuxes we dont need that. What happened in Volta Portugal hasnt happened before, at any race and shall never happen. Volta Portugal is not fit to host a race at any capacity going forward.miguel16-08-2026
- As much as I admire his chatacter and the resilience that forged his way into cycling, I believe he should've end his cycling career after 2024 vuelta, because it's hard for me to see any more big results from him at the moment.BenAflec16-08-2026
- Bora signed up Roglic on the cusp of still being a contender. A bit like the israeli team and Froome. The gamble like that venture never really bore fruit. Can he win the Vuelta? I would love to think that he could challenge Pog. Is that likely? I doubt it. Off course Pogacar could get ill or crash. Top 10 at best is my guess. His best placing this year I think was 8th in Tour de Suisse. I hope he surprises us though. Wouldn't that be great?Cyclingsbestfan16-08-2026
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