Wout van Aert is counting down the days to the end of his 2025 season, ready to take a break, refresh and then go again in 2026.
The Visma-Lease a Bike leader will ride Friday's Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec in Canada, Sunday's Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal, and then end his road season on home roads at the Super 8 Classic next Saturday.
Van Aert will have raced a total of 65 days in 2025 but it has been a bruising season. It started with a comeback from a nasty Vuelta crash injury during the winter, included a few cyclocross races and then he endured a consistent but disappointing Classics campaign, where he was outshone by Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogacar.
Van Aert fell ill before the Giro d'Italia but eventually found some form, won the gravel stage to Siena and helped Simon Yates snatch overall victory. The Tour de France was similarly frustrating but Van Aert won the final stage in Paris after an attack on the streets of Montmartre.
His end of season race programme began with the Hamburg ADAC Cyclassics and the Deutschland Tour before this week's trip to Canada, which will give him a chance to see the roads of the 2026 UCI Road World Championships.
Van Aert confirmed he will not ride this year's Gravel World Championships in the Netherlands and has already booked his holidays for October.
"I can assure people that I'll race cyclocross in the winter but before that, the bike will be out of service for about three to four weeks, after which we'll have to put the pieces together in November," he explained to Sporza and then other media in Canada.
"I want to start to prepare for 2026 with a better winter. I can't forget that I started training very late last year. I lost a lot of time and energy to rehab after my crash in the Vuelta. Even if you reach a good level, you still feel the details here and there that you had to skip in preparation. I think that's where the margin lies."
Win or lose, Van Aert is always in the spotlight, with the Flemish media reporting every moment of his life and highlighting when he fails to live up to the high standards he sets himself and that the public and media expect.
Van Aert is one of the biggest sports stars in Belgium and empathises with Tadej Pogačar, who discussed the mental and physical fatigue of his intense 2025 spring campaign and Tour de France after his fourth Tour victory.
"I understand what Pogacar is saying. Being a cyclist also means carrying a lot of expectations. I can understand how difficult it is to always have to perform," Van Aert said.
"You shouldn't underestimate how tough it is when everyone expects you to win wherever you start. I'm no longer in that position. But you really shouldn't let anyone talk you into anything. Outside expectations aren't the right motivation. I try to stay away from that."
Looking back and looking forward
Van Aert takes a balanced look back at his 2025 results. He is neither overjoyed nor disappointed.
"This was a season of trying new things. There weren't many successes, but on those few good days, I was able to achieve some amazing victories. I know I have to keep believing in myself and trusting myself and my body," he said.
"It was only after the classics that things became a bit more difficult due to illness and minor problems. It became a struggle to get results. I would have preferred to see things go a bit more smoothly.
"There were races where there was much more potential to do well, but the results were a fair reflection. I reached my desired level; there were others who were better."
Van Aert's goals for 2026 will surely include the cobbled Classics once again, but perhaps with more spring races alongside a key block at altitude. He could again ride two Grand Tours before targeting the World Championships in Canada.
"There have been so many tough World Championships in recent years. I can't skip them every year," he joked.
“The World Championships in Montreal is already something I'm thinking about. We'll take that into account in the build-up. I wouldn't rule out riding two Grand Tours again. I like the dynamic, with new opportunities every day."
Subscribe to Cyclingnews to unlock unlimited access to our coverage of the first-ever UCI Road World Championships on African soil. Our team of journalists will bring you all the major storylines, in-depth analysis, and more directly from the action in Rwanda as the next rainbow jerseys are decided. Find out more.
