Wout van Aert and Visma accept new role at Tour of Flanders: "Go to the Tour of Flanders without that status of absolute favourite"

Wout van Aert will line up for Sunday’s Tour of Flanders, but for the first time in his career, he will do so without the burden, or privilege, of being one of the pre-race favourites. All eyes are instead on Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogacar, widely seen as the two strongest contenders for the cobbled Monument.

Despite the shifting spotlight, Van Aert remains motivated and focused on delivering a strong performance in what he still considers a key target.

“The Tour of Flanders is a highlight of my season every year. The Tour remains special to ride as a Belgian,” Van Aert said in a team press release. “This year I peaked again for the cobblestone monuments and I think we proved last Wednesday, however disappointing the outcome was – that we as a team are ready to compete again.”

It will be a new experience for the Team Visma | Lease a Bike rider to approach De Ronde without the expectation of victory. Still, he sees it as an opportunity rather than a setback.

“For me it is new to go to the Tour of Flanders without that status of absolute favourite. That does not take away that I and the rest of the team are extremely motivated to make it a beautiful race on Sunday,” Van Aert added.

Sports director Grischa Niermann echoed the belief that, despite the disappointment of Dwars door Vlaanderen, the team has reason to be optimistic heading into Flanders.

“Dwars door Vlaanderen was a big disappointment. But afterwards we also had the time to look at the positive aspects of that race. We perfectly executed our plan to take control of the race early and attack and largely imposed our will on the peloton. That is what we stand for and we must remember from Wednesday.”

With the absence of a top favourite in their ranks, Niermann emphasised the need for a collective strategy on Sunday.

“We don't have the top favourite in our team, but we have to play our strengths across the board. We are confident that we can play our part. Everyone is in good shape: from Edoardo Affini and Tosh Van der Sande to Matteo and Wout. The Tour of Flanders is one of the most beautiful races of the year and is always one of our main goals. So everyone is looking forward to making it a beautiful race.”