"He was really up for it recently" - Bakelants reveals Wout Van Aert's surprising next race appointment
GravelTuesday, 14 July 2026 at 06:00
Wout Van Aert has not been in racing action in a little over a month now. His last competitive start was the Tour Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes where he won a stage, but otherwise appeared at a shape which left much to be desired with view to the Tour de France. And, ultimately, that appointment was removed from his schedule entirely.
After a great spring which included a much-awaited Paris-Roubaix title, it was quite shocking to see the Belgian severely below his usual level, unable to keep up with his teammates' pace in team time trial and being dropped among first in mountain stages. The decision to skip Tour has been only rational with the tight time frame.
Instead, Van Aert will race the Vuelta a Espana at the end of this summer. He returns to the Spanish Grand Tour for the first time since his emotional abandon in 2024 while wearing the green jersey.
But there's still a month left until Vuelta, so what are Van Aert's plans until then? Jan Bakelants points to a potential start at the Belgian gravel Championships: "I think so," he nods on Vive le Vélo show a little hesitantly.
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Return to gravel
This participation could be an inevitable signal that Van Aert aims for a rainbow jersey this autumn - on gravel. He already tried has luck in 2023, but fell short in an eighth place. A year later, his eternal rival Mathieu van der Poel succeeded in the same quest. Obviously, it might now be a personal challenge for Van Aert to equal his record at least there.
"Let's just say he was really up for it recently. Then I think he's going to do it, yes," Bakelants says positively about the chance of Van Aert participating.
That really is news. Organizer Erwin Vervecken had hoped for Van Aert's arrival, but nothing was known about it until now. So now it seems Van Aert will participate after all.
The Belgian Championship takes place just under a week before the start of the Vuelta. That's of course not a problem transport-wise, but will Visma allow for their star to "gamble" ahead of a major objective that is Vuelta even without Vingegaard on the start?
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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