Wout van Aert feels 'enormous drive' ahead of 7th Paris-Roubaix appearance

In the build-up to Paris-Roubaix 2026, much of the talk has centred on Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogačar. But the name Wout van Aert comes up almost as often. The Belgian from Visma | Lease a Bike is hunting for a top result in The Hell of the North for the seventh time, and remains as ambitious as ever.

Visma | Lease a Bike set themselves the goal before the season of winning at least one Monument, but that has not yet been achieved a Milan-Sanremo or the Tour of Flanders. On the Italian coast Van Aert finished third, and in Oudenaarde he crossed the line in fourth.

The most special race for the Belgian remains Paris-Roubaix. 'I still feel an enormous drive ahead of this race. It will be my seventh appearance, but this race remains special.'

Van Aert explains why the race is so close to his heart. "The nervousness and the unpredictability make Paris-Roubaix so beautiful. Since the Italian races, I've had the good feeling and I was able to carry that through into the Flemish classics. Now I'm desperate to seize my last chance at a win this spring."

The Flemish leader will be joined in northern France by several shadow leaders. Matthew Brennan does not appear to be fully fit yet, but the Brit impressed in the race last year. In recent weeks, it is Per Strand Hagenes and Christophe Laporte who have been more prominent.

'My goal is to play a role in the finale,' says Hagenes, who finished second in the E3 Saxo Classic and third in the 2021 Paris-Roubaix for juniors. "I will do everything I can to be there for as long as possible and to support Wout. I believe he can match the other favourites. He has shown plenty of good things in recent weeks. In Roubaix these days, the race gets blown apart from far out, so I'm preparing for a long, tough battle."

Laporte spoke before the season about the only Monument in his home country. "I would love to win Paris-Roubaix. That is my dream. As a Frenchman in my own country, that would be amazing. Of course, luck plays a big part in that race too. Hopefully this year will be the day for our team."

Owain Doull and Pietro Mattio complete the Visma | Lease a Bike squad.

Wout van Aert
Christophe Laporte
Edoardo Affini
Pietro Mattio
Per Strand Hagenes
Matthew Brennan
Ouwain Doull