Optimistic Van Aert sets two major goals for 2025: "Then I'll take the rest of the year off"

The Belgian rider's big goals in 2025 are the same as last year. The season, especially the spring, will be meticulously put together to be in the best shape during the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. This was already the case in 2024, but then Van Aert's spring ended abruptly with a crash in Dwars Door Vlaanderen. So this year, it's 'new rounds, new chances' for the 30-year-old Belgian, who has never before managed to win both Monuments.

"I could compete in many finals, but I also screwed up a lot at the start of races," Van Aert looks back on his participation in the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. "After my second place in the sprint against Mathieu van der Poel in the Tour of Flanders of 2020, I thought I would still get a lot of chances. We are now in 2025, and I only have a single podium finish in Roubaix." Still, the Belgian remains hopeful for the sequel. "Everything has to work out in races like that. I have to stay focused and do my best on everything I can influence."

Van Aert will turn 31 this calendar year, so what he can add to his palmares remains to be seen. What if the Belgian has to choose between a victory in the Velodrome of Roubaix or the Tour of Flanders? "I can't and don't want to choose between the two races,' Van Aert is adamant. 'Roubaix is a very special race, but the Flanders is also very special if you are a Flemish rider. Still, I weigh almost eighty kilos, so it's normal to like the flat roads of Roubaix more. But the vibe in Flanders is just different..."

So, the preparation for the 'week of truth' of Van Aert's season will be essentially the same as a year earlier, and there's a reason for that. "Last year, I felt I was in the best shape of my life before my crash. So I think that's the right program." Even though it's only February, it's already looking forward to the two big one-day races. "If I managed to win one of them at the end of my career, that would already be a dream. And if I win them both this year, I'll take the rest of the year off," the Belgian concludes, smiling.