Van Aert has big goals for 2026 after his long-awaited Roubaix win: 'I dream of winning the world title'

With his long-awaited victory at Paris-Roubaix, Wout van Aert's 2026 season is already a success by any measure. But the Visma | Lease a Bike rider has more to chase. The Tour de France is next on the calendar — and beyond that, he has his sights set on the World Championships in Montreal, where he dreams of the rainbow jersey on the road.

After years of setbacks, 2026 has finally been Van Aert's year. Countless second places, crashes, and other misfortunes had kept the cobbled Monument from him for so long. Paris-Roubaix was the reward for his persistence and resilience. Nearly a month on, the Belgian reflected on his victory in conversation with Domestique at the Service Koers event honouring his win.

"Everything finally came together in Roubaix. Mathieu's bad luck had a big influence on how the race played out. Fortunately, I had less bad luck — or at least, bad luck at a better moment." Entering the velodrome, Van Aert was surprisingly calm. "I wasn't nervous anymore. The final metres seemed to pass so slowly."

The real chaos came after the line, when Van Aert briefly lost track of his wife Sarah in the crowds. "I was worried about whether the children were okay. Fortunately that uncertainty passed quickly." Then the celebrating could truly begin.

One of the first to congratulate him was his eternal rival Mathieu Van der Poel. "The fact that he made the effort to come straight over to me meant a great deal. I have enormous respect for him," Van Aert said.

Over the weeks since the win, he has made a point of savouring every moment — and it is something he would advise any athlete to do. "If you only enjoy those five minutes after the finish, when your emotions go through the roof, the years feel very long. You have to keep enjoying the whole process." But the time to look ahead has also, gradually, arrived.

First up is the Tour de France, where he sees opportunities in the opening weekend. "I already have my mind set on the opening weekend. I don't think there will be a huge number of chances for me on this route, but in the first weekend, I think there will be." The team time trial is a specific priority. "We want to win the team time trial. That is a very big goal for us as a team. And if we do that well, there is also a chance for me to maybe wear the yellow jersey."

The bigger, and perhaps harder, dream is the road World Championships in Montreal. Van Aert has worn the rainbow jersey before — three times in cyclocross — but the road title has always stayed out of reach. "I dream of winning the world title."

He is under no illusions about the difficulty, though. "It will be extremely difficult," he admitted. Especially with Tadej Pogačar likely to start. "If he is in top form, he is very hard to beat — particularly on a course with a lot of climbing, like this year's. But that doesn't stop me from turning up at the start very motivated."

It is worth noting that Van Aert has already beaten the current world champion twice this spring — on the final stage of last year's Tour de France at the Champs-Élysées, and then at Paris-Roubaix itself.