“If there is one cycling discipline that really suits Wout, it’s gravel” – Van Aert’s close friend makes striking claim before Belgian Gravel Championships debut
GravelFriday, 14 August 2026 at 19:00
Wout van Aert has only three major gravel starts to his name. He has won two of them, and on Sunday the Paris-Roubaix winner will try to add a Belgian title at the first attempt in Grobbendonk.
The race sits between his dominant return at the Tour of Denmark and bigger late-season targets at the Vuelta a Espana and World Championships, but Daan Soete believes gravel may be more than a useful off-road diversion for his close friend.
"If there is one cycling discipline that really suits Wout, it's gravel," Soete told Het Nieuwsblad. "Even more than the road and cyclocross."
That comparison comes despite Van Aert winning three elite cyclocross world titles and building one of the most varied road palmares of his generation, including Milan-Sanremo and, earlier this season, Paris-Roubaix.
Two wins from three gravel appearances
Van Aert only made his UCI-level gravel debut at Houffa Gravel in 2023, using the race as preparation for that year's World Championships. He won at the first attempt before finishing eighth at the Gravel Worlds in Veneto despite suffering mechanical trouble and a crash during the opening part of the race.
| Year | Race | Result |
| 2023 | Houffa Gravel | 1st |
| 2023 | UCI Gravel World Championships | 8th |
| 2026 | Marly Grav | 1st |
| 2026 | Belgian Gravel Championships | Starts 16 August |
He then went through the whole of 2024 and 2025 without another competitive gravel appearance before returning at Marly Grav in May this year.
Again, the outcome was victory. Less than a month after finally adding Paris-Roubaix to his palmares, Van Aert attacked with 22 kilometres remaining on the hilly 150-kilometre course around Valkenburg and rode alone to the finish. Niels Vandeputte and Rick Ottema completed the podium, while reigning gravel world champion Florian Vermeersch had also been part of the decisive selection.
That leaves Van Aert with two victories from only three significant gravel starts heading into Sunday's national championships.
Wout van Aert climbing the Colle delle Finestre in the 20th stage of the 2025 Giro d'Italia in the gravel section
For Soete, that affinity with gravel goes much further back than those results. The pair grew up with their attention firmly fixed away from the road. "Off-road riding is what we love doing most," he explained. "Both Wout and I grew up as cyclocross riders. From the age of eight or nine, off-road was our only focus. Road cycling didn't really interest us at all."
The two recently spent time training together in Livigno, although gravel only formed a small part of the block. Most of the work was still done on the road, where intervals and tightly controlled power efforts are easier to execute.
"Don't worry, we only did a few gravel rides in Livigno," said Soete. "The majority of the training was simply done on the road. If you have to do intervals or want to ride at very specific wattages, that's always very difficult off-road. The road is better suited to that."
'He's the clear favourite'
There will be considerably less control once racing begins in Grobbendonk. Van Aert faces defending champion Vandeputte among a field also featuring Tim Merlier, Greg Van Avermaet and Soete himself, but his training partner has little hesitation over who starts as the man to beat. "He's the clear favourite. Everyone will be looking at him, which is only logical," said Soete.
Even the technical nature of the course does not concern him. Soete expects Van Aert to have the ability to reduce the race rapidly if he decides to put the field under pressure. "If Wout wants to, there will be a serious selection pretty quickly," he said. "And if you're riding around in a group of five, that's still less dangerous than being packed together with 30 riders."
Sunday is not one of Van Aert's major season objectives. His priorities lie further ahead, beginning with the Vuelta a Espana from August 22 before the World Championships in Montreal at the end of September. "He'll definitely start on Sunday without any pressure," Soete added. "If he wins, that's a nice bonus. If it doesn't happen, he won't lose any sleep over it."
His preparation for those targets has taken on added importance after an infected elbow forced him out of the Tour de France. Van Aert's subsequent return at the Tour of Denmark could hardly have offered much more reassurance, with three consecutive stage victories followed by overall victory.
Soete had already seen encouraging signs before that dominant comeback. "I could already see in Livigno that he was really lean and sharp. And in Denmark he proved that his condition is good as well. I'm confident."
Van Aert will start in Grobbendonk with two victories from three major gravel appearances, fresh from three stage wins and overall victory at the Tour of Denmark. A Belgian title would add another off-road success before his focus turns fully back towards the road and the start of the Vuelta six days later.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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