Wout van Aert confident but realistic towards Flanders: "I see few possible scenarios where you beat Mathieu and Pogacar"
Cycling
Team Visma | Lease a Bike is a team of big hitters and terrific riders, but in the cobbled classics it's main weapon will be Wout van Aert. The Belgian is always grounded, knowing he faces generational rivals in Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogacar, but is confident that it is possible to reach the level to beat them.
“I think I initially had a difficult winter, but after that I was able to work well. I also haven't forgotten how I felt in the Vuelta a España. That knee injury was very annoying, but never of such a nature that I thought 'this is not going to be resolved'," the Belgian shared with Wielerflits. "In that respect, I was able to finish this winter with a certain confidence, that I can get back to my usual level.”
Van Aert rode through the cyclocross campaign with some technical difficulties but with good legs, a few wins in the bag and a silver medal at the World Championships where he wasn't sure to participate at first. It was a strong winter where he pushed through a nagging injury suffered in September of last year.
After a psychologically difficult year, marked by two crashes that had disastrous consequences, he starts his season next week at the Clásica Jaén Paraiso Interior and then backs that up with the Volta ao Algarve. But all of this is with the cobbled classics in mind. He admits he was surprised when he learnt of Tadej Pogacar's schedule.
“I didn’t really curse, but I was mainly impressed by his program. Where he still takes on a lot of hay," he tells. "In many classics, there are still many strategies and everything is possible, of course also in the Tour of Flanders. But that is also the race that is decided by the legs. I see few possible scenarios where you beat Mathieu and Pogačar, while you yourself are less strong," van Aert admits. A brilliant climber in this kind of terrain, a very experienced rider with a great team, but in Flanders this may not be enough.
In climbs such as the Koppenberg, Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg, at the end of 6 hours of racing, the very best can make the difference and Wout van Aert's hope is to have the legs to at least match his two history-making rivals. "In my case, I would have to be at least their equal to have a chance.”
But in Roubaix the story is not necessarily the same as the W/Kg and climbing legs matter little, and instead the raw power and tactics becomes more important. In this aspect, Visma has a more even fight and van Aert will start without the disadvantage that he has found in recent years against his rivals.
Read also
Happy Valentine’s Day! ❤️🐝 pic.twitter.com/zontXxC9ye
— Team Visma | Lease a Bike (@vismaleaseabike) February 14, 2025
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.
claps 8visitors 8
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Seriously do you think when somebody gets into a serious accident, the ambulance is called by the hurt person?🤦 there is always a buddy system in place for a risky job. police , firefighters etc so that if someone gets hurt, the other call that in.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I get the point totally. We live in the snowflake society where some riders forget they are getting paid to ride and get results. When they have a few issues they try to look outside of the real issue instead of themselves. It odd so many of the team are making no complaints and getting on with their job. If you do not like what you do find another job simples. Tough love as my mum would say.paultryan200207-11-2026
- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment