Van Aert realises his cyclo-cross dreams are no longer a priority: 'As much as I love it'

Wout van Aert has enjoyed a well-deserved rest period, but slowly and surely, his attention is turning to winter. The Belgian rider of Visma | Lease a Bike is eager to shine again in his beloved discipline, where fans are already dreaming of another thrilling showdown with Mathieu van der Poel. Still, Van Aert is realistic — his priorities lie elsewhere.

Van Aert was finally able to enjoy real time of quality with his family in October, and he went to Italy with his wife. 'It was a very nice vacation,' he told Het Laatste Nieuws. 'Last year I almost skipped it because I was rehabbing, so it was much needed to have a longer time with the family and to not play sports for once. It did feel good.'

After a busy season, Van Aert finally got to spend some genuine quality time with his family in October, taking a trip to Italy with his wife. 'It was a really nice holiday,” he told Het Laatste Nieuws. 'Last year I almost skipped it because I was recovering from injury, so it was really necessary to take a proper break this time — to spend time with my family and not think about training. It did me a lot of good.'

The build-up to his cyclocross campaign has started slowly but surely, and the Belgian is keeping his return date under wraps for now. 'I’ve started training gently over the past few weeks, but the real preparation can begin in about ten days. I want to see how my body reacts before setting a concrete plan. I also need to take into account what’s coming on the road — just a little more patience.

Last winter, Van Aert made his return to cyclocross right after Christmas, taking fourth place at the Azencross in Loenhout. A similar timeframe might be likely again this year. 'The plan was originally to start the cross season a bit earlier,' he explained. 'Now I have to see what’s realistic, because there are several factors we need to consider.'

And by that, the all-rounder clearly means his road racing goals. Because one thing is clear — the Classics take precedence over the cross. 'It mainly needs to fit into my road season preparation, as much as I love cyclocross. I’m still super ambitious for the Classics, and at this point, that means my cross career has to take a bit of a back seat..' Whether he’ll line up at the World Championships in Hulst remains to be seen — Van Aert is keeping that decision to himself for now.

Barring surprises, the Visma | Lease a Bike rider is expected to be on the start list for the 2026 Tour de France. The route — unveiled last month — begins in Barcelona, heads early into the Pyrenees, ends with a brutal finale in the Alps, and features plenty of hilly mid-mountain stages. Van Aert has studied the course but isn’t entirely convinced.

There aren’t many stages that 100% suit me,' he analyzed. 'There are some that might be good for a breakaway, but that’s never a guarantee. Most are either pure sprint days or really hard mountain stages. It’s not completely a course for me, but my goal is to be back at my top level next year. Then I can make a difference on any terrain — that’s what I’m working toward.'

Last year, Van Aert also started the Giro d’Italia, where he memorably won the gravel stage to Siena in spectacular fashion. Another Grand Tour could be on his radar again this season — the Vuelta a España remains a possibility. 'But the Tour is still the most important and the biggest race,' he concluded. 'My goal is to be there.'