"Wide tyres, really low pressure" - How Wout van Aert prepared his bike to beat Tadej Pogacar at Tour de France
Cycling
The Tour de France victory was the highlight of Wout van Aert's 2025 season, a triumph that saved his race, created a perfect finale for Team Visma | Lease a Bike and also showed he was still one of the very top riders. He explains now how his bike setup played a role in dropping and beating Tadej Pogacar.
“I took quite some risks, but it didn’t feel like that. It felt like everything was in control,” he said on Visma's Inside the Beehive podcast. The day in Paris was wet and this led to a neutralization of times. There would be no fight for the overall classification, but a win in Paris - with the yellow jersey - would be one to frame for Tadej Pogacar.
And so the race leader was there present, and with the best once the rain began to split. In the final lap only a few riders remained and Pogacar pushed the pace up the final ascent to the Montmartre, but van Aert had an extra gear. He then rode the finale by himself, holding off the chasing group. "It doesn’t happen too often arriving alone on the Champs Élysées.”
To achieve this, the Belgian took advantage of his expertise with the bike, a rider who is a cyclocross and cobbled classics specialist. He knew how far he could take the bike to get every bit of advantage over the UAE Team Emirates - XRG rider, and it worked. “I gambled: wide tyres, really low pressure. I had the perfect setup for the finale," he looks back.
Giro win
Van Aert is going into 2026 more relaxed after some time off, including a trip to the USA. He was able to have a regular winter without having to nurse a major injury as was the case in 2024, and will begin his cyclocross campaign this Saturday in Antwerp.
“Mentally it’s been a way better winter where I had really time to relax and to enjoy life a little bit," he says. He was present at Visma's recent training camp, and in mid January he will talk to the media and reveal his goals, schedule and more.
He also looks back at the 'mini Strade Bianche' stage, which he won ahead of Isaac del Toro at the Giro d'Italia. “I never thought I would have a chance to win that stage, especially not from the GC group. I was completely dead, but I still believed I could have a chance. My experience and my winner’s mentality came in in the final few kilometers.”
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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- Seixas appears to be that good but if he isn't (an absolute rival to Pogacar) he would have plenty of company in rising stars that did not go on to fully meet the expectations of many. That Pogacar wasn't the greatest (as great) sooner can't be transposed onto another's development. It may be not that simple.flyer14-11-2026
- I agree that, for Evenepoel, the Euro championship is overshadowed by the slightly off Lombardia and Worlds. However, I disagree that "Ciccone also made a serious mistake at the European Championships" because I don't think he had a win in the bag although he could have won with a perfect bike throw. Guesswork about the finish is not evidence by me for some serious mistake. Sometimes you just barely lose - although Ciccone's sourpuss about it persona was serious.flyer14-11-2026
- I bet you photobombed the video since you are his shadow!frieders314-11-2026
- Skipping the 2027 TDF would be fine in my opinion, and if so, it further reveals that him racing it in 2026 was a good decision. Seixas speaks confident, almost cocky, these days (not meant to be a criticism) and I find it a tad humorous that people (rather commentators) continually chide and advise on how Decathlon should direct and manage Seixas when Paul seems to be calling all his shots since well before this year's TDF.flyer14-11-2026
- Well I just watched this and I thought it was great! If you’re a Pogi fan, like me, you’ll enjoy it. Even if you’re not necessarily a Pogi fan I still recommend it. There’s plenty of new stuff I didn’t know about and I’m a Pogi-maniac! Nice interviews with Pogi & Matteo Trentin too.Lozza14-11-2026
- Well I just watched this and I thought it was great! If you’re a Pogi fan, like me, you’ll enjoy it. Even if you’re not necessarily a Pogi fan I still recommend it. There’s plenty of new stuff I didn’t know about and I’m a Pogi-maniac! Nice interviews with Pogi & Matteo Trentin too. So Zonnewotsit can stick it!Lozza14-11-2026
- Who’s gifting grand tours at UAE? Defo not Pogi! Stage wins maybe.Lozza13-11-2026
- Sepp Kuss Vuelta 2023.Lozza13-11-2026
- they have no expertise with classics, they have no leaders in classics. the classics is dominated by the few Fuori Classe riders where other riders are left with scraps. the Hiring , the salaries dont make sense at all. Same problem as Man Utd. over paid players, egos, very little performanceabstractengineer13-11-2026
- Contract year means you gotta win, at least collect UCI points, helping be damnedabstractengineer13-11-2026
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