Wout van Aert will be at the start of Liège-Bastogne-Liége as a leader for Jumbo-Visma, and will be one of the main candidates for the fourth monument of the season. He has talked to reporters yesterday after a recon ride of this year's route.
“Although it was a bit of a shock when I noticed that the Walloon roads are in even worse shape than the Flemish ones. It was a tricky recon, but that's no surprise. I train a lot here and I already knew the climbs. It's interesting to explore the final, to see how fast you are at the finish," Van Aert told Het Nieuwsblad.
After a Covid-19 infection days before the Tour des Flandres, the Belgian champion's plans were changed for the spring, causing him to still focus on the final weekend of the spring campaign, where he will targeting Liège-Bastogne-Liège. With Primoz Roglic absent due a knee injury, van Aert should be the sole team leader, with the support of the likes of Jonas Vingegaard and Tiesj Benoot.
This Thursday, Jumbo-Visma did a recon of the route, where van Aert has openly talked about the experience: “The most interesting thing was the descent towards the finish, which I didn't know yet. It's a beautiful finale. You'll be there soon after the last descent. If you don't make it to the top of the Roche aux Faucons, there will be no turning back. Whether that slope is the tipping point of the course? Yes. It usually explodes there, but you have to get there of course. Many have already been driven off before. Trying to follow will be hard enough," he said.
He just came off a strong second place at Paris-Roubaix, and has detailed that between races there has been very little action: “After Roubaix I took two rest days. Wednesday and today I completed two good training sessions to maintain my condition. It is a great opportunity. It will be good in the future that I have already raced here," he says, as he is set to make his debut in the Belgian classic.
Whether he believes or not in the possibility of winning it, he leaves the question relatively open: “I give myself a small chance of winning and a good chance of a good result. I believe I can do something here, otherwise I wouldn't start."
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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