"The reality is that I haven't won the Ronde and Roubaix yet" - Wout van Aert willing to take risks to win big
Cycling
Wout van Aert started his season early and moved onto the Opening Weekend where he didn't show his best form, but showed the appropriate level for February - winning Kuurne - Bruxelles - Kuurne and finishing on the podium of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. Now he's looking to reach his form peak, but through training and not racing.
"Always staying in the comfort zone is the easiest thing, but the reality is that I haven't won the Ronde and Roubaix yet," van Aert shared with Het Laatste Nieuws. "That may not always have had to do with myself, but I did have the feeling that I could be even better during those two weekends than was the case in previous years.”
Hence this year the Belgian tries out a new plan. He will not race Paris-Nice or Tirreno-Adriatico unlike previous years - and in the process also Milano-Sanremo, as he goes all in for the cobbled monuments: “I always considered Tirreno-Adriatico and Paris-Nice as preparation races. But actually they are too tough races to see them purely as preparation. So it is only an advantage not to ride them," he states.
Whether this will prove to be a winning strategy or not remains to be seen, but it's safe to say the Team Visma | Lease a Bike rider has already gotten a lot of intensity in the legs. He will try to arrive fresher at the cobbles, not having one of the stage-races in the legs. Mathieu van der Poel - although in a very different winter racing plan - will do the same thing, only starting his season at Milano-Sanremo and specifically racing the one-day events all throughout the spring.
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)...
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- for what?frieders311-11-2026
- Blah blah blah!frieders311-11-2026
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- I had no idea about that either.
santiagobenites10-11-2026 - great analysis thanks! appreciate you posting this. I didn't realize CX had a different standard for deviation. this is even more egregious it seems.mij10-11-2026
- As he isn't currently with Red Bull, I guess if he want to race for one more year he needs to find a team. He's 37 so this will be his last year I would guess, unless he wants to race for almost nothing like Froome did.awp10-11-2026
- I think some are making much ado about nothing. Even though Jonas is getting older, before his crash in the Tour, he looked like a solid 2nd all the way home. No one can really climb with Tadej until this year, Eric Mas showed himself which I think was a one off year for him and Paul Seixas has been able to be pretty close to him. Whatever stage race Jonas enters as long as Tadej is not there he is a favorite to win.awp10-11-2026
- Giro or not Giro, he won't win the Tour!MajorPayne10-11-2026
- Very true.awp10-11-2026
- Ciccone had a very strong end of season. Consistently attacking and livening up races. Hope he makes that last leap in progress and starts notching some significant wins. Great rider to watch.Occam10-11-2026
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