Don’t expect too much from Wout van Aert after another setback — because he doesn’t either

Van Aert’s 2026 programme was — and still is — built around one clear goal: peaking for the Spring Classics. That is why he had already crossed off the Cyclo-cross World Championships and planned to begin his road campaign at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. The same kind of choices were made a year ago too, when the aftermath of a serious knee injury from the Vuelta a España shaped his winter. This time, though, there was hope for a smooth, problem-free build-up.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be again. On 2 January, Van Aert saw his shortened cyclo-cross winter come to an abrupt end in Mol, where he landed hard on his ankle in a corner. Doctors diagnosed a small fracture. He has since recovered fully from that injury, but after a strong altitude camp in Sierra Nevada, another setback followed.

“It was a nasty stomach bug,” Van Aert said at the start of Le Samyn, where he made his season debut two days after Opening Weekend. “It wasn’t pleasant, but since Saturday I’ve been feeling better and I can ride again. It’s been a long time since I raced, so it feels incredibly good to get going again. I don’t feel any pressure today, because we’ll have to see how my body reacts.”

“There are a lot of questions, and I hope to have more answers tonight,” Van Aert continued. “I’m hoping for a good race, a good feeling, and that I can race aggressively.” But the Belgian made it clear he had been hit hard after Sierra Nevada. “For a few days I couldn’t eat the way you’re supposed to. On the bike I still felt a bit weak, so I’m hoping I’ve got enough strength again to perform.”

It didn’t sound overly positive — and Van Aert also stressed that getting ill after an altitude block is far from ideal. “When you’ve just done a really heavy training block, it’s important to recover well. That only works with the right nutrition, and that wasn’t possible. It was a strong viral infection, but in the last few days I’ve been able to eat normally again.”

In theory, Van Aert had been set for more of a supporting role within Visma | Lease a Bike, but with intended leader Christophe Laporte forced out, most eyes still turned to him. “That does change things,” he admitted. “Christophe was in good shape and he really could have won here. Now it will depend more on me — but let’s see how the body feels. I honestly have no idea if I can win.”

Before the start of Le Samyn, Van Aert at least made one thing clear: he wanted to race — whether that meant suffering or finding good legs. The key word was small steps, the ones he had hoped to take during Opening Weekend. After all, Strade Bianche is already coming up on Saturday, and then it’s barely a month until the Tour of Flanders.

By now, Van Aert is used to last-minute changes of plan — and he kept his big smile too. “I did feel disappointed when I missed Omloop Het Nieuwsblad,” he said, “but I also saw a lot of riders hit the deck. It looked chaotic, so in the end I didn’t mind quite as much that I wasn’t there.”

“Omloop was the benchmark I’d worked towards all winter, so yes, that was frustrating. But by the time the race actually started, the disappointment was already gone.”

Bram van der Ploeg ( X: @BvdPloegg | email : [email protected])