The less stressful winter strongly desired by Van Aert to present himself at his best for the road season is producing less than exciting performances in cross. However, the feeling is that the great Belgian has decided not to worry about it. It’s been 31 years now and the level of racing has risen so much that no deviations from the established line are allowed.
«For sure – he says – mentally it was a much better winter, where I really had time to relax and enjoy life a bit. In hindsight, maybe I made the wrong decision last year to not take a real vacation. But at that moment I was coming from the crash of the Vuelta and I wanted to start working as soon as possible. I had the constant pressure of when you’re fighting against time. It wasn’t relaxing, as it seemed to me this winter. And now I realize that this was something I really needed for a long time. Like a longer break from the great pressure we have to endure as professionals.”
Towards the first Giro
Van Aert’s 2025 remains an ups and downs of emotions, with many bitter pills and two moments to remember. Maybe three, adding to the stages of Siena (Giro d’Italia) and Paris (Tour de France), the masterpiece of the Colle delle Finestre which opened the door to the pink jersey for Simon Yates. But on that day, Wout shows cautious enthusiasm.
The fact is that when he showed up at the start of his first Giro, his low and not at all enthusiastic mood corresponded to the media’s bombastic expectations. The Northern campaign had seen him throw away Dwars door Vlaanderen, fight well against his two great rivals at Flanders and then pay the price for bad luck at Roubaix. Until after an acceptable Amstel Gold Race, finishing in fourth place, Wout fell ill and arrived at the start from Tirana feeling like he had lost his form.
«In the time trial – he says – I couldn’t hide that my legs weren’t as I wanted and at that point my concentration went away. We also thought that if I didn’t improve, I would have to start thinking of the Giro as an excellent approach to the Tour. However, on the day in Siena everything changed. If they had asked me before the Giro, I would have replied that that stage was suitable for me, but with the way things were going, my confidence was low…”.
The day of Siena
It’s the day of the white roads in which Wout Van Aert has shaken off the mistrust and disappointments of previous weeks and he drew on his abilities as a winner to roar as on the best days.
«In the morning – he says – we thought there would be a great escape, but instead five of them left and I wasn’t there. I thought it was over, but still I remained on the wheel of Bernal and Del Torohaving Simon (Yates, ed.) behind me and obviously it wasn’t up to me to work with so much company. Del Toro really gave me a hard time until the finish line. Then my experience and winner’s mentality came to the fore in the last kilometres. I was completely exhausted, but I still believed I had a chance. I knew the last corners by heart and I knew where I had to get over it.
«On the one hand I knew I could do it – he analyzes in the Inside the Beehive podcast by Visma-Lease a Bike – on the other I was afraid of finishing second again. There was a very thin line between trust and fear of what might happenbut I managed to turn it into something positive. This is why I had a great explosion of happiness upon arrival. I still get goosebumps when I think about that moment and the moment I met my family after 10 days of racing. They were there waiting for me before the rest day. Maybe it’s a bit of an exaggeration to say this, but I thought it was meant to be this way. It was one of the best moments of the year».
Bad luck towards the Tour
The approach to the Tour was almost a true copy of the Giro. An injury in training camp in Tignes, the resumption of training and then again an illness after the national championships at the end of June. One curse after another that has made 2025 a year of ups and downs that would make the walls of Flanders blush.
«The Wednesday before the Tour – admits Van Aert – I had to do an intense training with some efforts. After three hours, however, I was completely destroyed and it wasn’t the best way to start. I wasn’t strong enough to achieve personal results, which was actually the goal before the race. I wasn’t strong enough to even help the team. A lot of things went through my head. In the first week we wanted to make the race difficult and I wasn’t up to it.
«Then the situation improved, but I would be false if I said that I had already had the Paris stage in my sights. Only the day before I started to think that not many would be strong enough to do well in the last stage. I found myself very focused and from the penultimate day, Paris became my main goal and I began to believe I could win.”
Paris Day
It’s the day of the Montmartre circuit, of the rain, of the race being neutralized at the first pass and of Pogacar who lights up the race with his yellow. They are the streets of the Olympic circuit on which Evenepoel won gold the year beforewith Van Aert helping him make the selection. Even that day, as well as in Siena a few weeks earlier, the Belgian knows every meter of the route.
«It was quite technical – he says – given the rain. It was also slippery, but not that much. I felt pretty confident on the bike, my legs were finally there. The race situation was good, there were only a few of us, so in the last kilometers I took some risks. The race was very short, the initial part was easy. So I bet on wider tires, inflated to a very low pressurebecause I wouldn’t have lost too much thanks to the easy start. In the end I found myself with the perfect configuration.
«Arriving alone at the finish line was the exact opposite of the Champs Elysees we knowwhere it seems like people are miles away because the road is so wide. I was so focused that only on the final straight did I realize that I was much ahead of the others. I couldn’t hear anything on the radio anymoreso only in the last moments did I understand what was happening. The hugs with Richard Plugge and my wife, then the last snapshot with the team on the podium are the memories I carry with me of that day.” The two most beautiful smiles of 2025.
