Wout van Aert and Visma-Lease a Bike have already begun their preparations for the 2026 cobbled Spring Classics with a recon of the roads of Paris-Roubaix and equipment testing up the iconic five-star Carrefour de l’Arbre sector in northern France.
Alongside several teammates, Van Aert and Co. were photographed on their annual test by Flemish daily newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws, as they wrapped up warm for the grim weather, which could well be similar to what greets them during the Hell of the North come April.
He had a consistently strong Classics campaign as always in 2025, but fourth in all of the Tour of Flanders, Roubaix and Amstel Gold would have been disappointing as the likes of Van der Poel and Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) rode to the victories. Not forgetting his heartbreaking loss at Dwars door Vlaanderen to Neilson Powless from a Visma three-on-one.
Van Aert bounced back after the Classics this past season and resumed his winning ways with a stunning triumph on the gravel stage of the Giro d’Italia to Siena. On the final day of the Tour de France, he became the only rider to drop Pogačar on a climb in 2025 and claimed a memorable victory in Paris.
In terms of the testing, not much is different for Visma’s cobbled Classics squad, with equipment providers Cervélo, SRAM, Reserve, and Vittoria staying the same, but…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at CyclingNews RSS Feed…