"With Wout van Aert it is now or never. He is thirty years old" - Johan Museeuw sends warning

There is a growing feeling that Wout van Aert has real point to prove in 2025. After an injury-hit 2024 and a much reduced cyclocross winter, the Belgian needs to prove he is still able to win the biggest races on the planet according to the legendary Johan Museeuw.

"I have the feeling with Van Aert that it is now or never. He is thirty years old and the years are starting to count," warns the now 59-year-old Belgian Classics icon in conversation with Wieler Revue, urging his compatriot to do everything in his power to make the most of the good legs whilst they're still around. "Van Aert has already encountered a lot in his career, but we have to conclude that there is still only one monument on his list of achievements. But I would like to add right away that he has won many other beautiful races. Cycling is more than the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix."

Museeuw himself won the Tour of Flanders on three occasions (1992, 1995, 1998), as he did Paris-Roubaix (1996, 2000, 2002), plus two stages of the Tour de France and the road race World Championships in 1996. Arguably, rather than his compatriot Van Aert, Museeuw's modern day equivalent in the peloton is Mathieu van der Poel and the Belgian is indeed very complimentary of the Dutch superstar.

"Of course, the Cyclocross World Championship is not a road race, but it is certainly a reference for his great form," Museeuw analyses of Van der Poel's form. "When we talk about Mathieu van der Poel, we always talk about records. Now it was the equalling of Eric De Vlaeminck's record, soon we will talk about the record in the Tour of Flanders. The public and the media like to refer to that all the time, but I don't think Mathieu is really concerned with that."