Van Aert plots different road to 2026 worlds with revised spring and Vuelta return

Wout van Aert appears to be mixing it up next year. He is set take a markedly different approach to the 2026 season, reshaping both his spring and late-summer plans as he builds toward the road worlds in Montreal.

While recent attention has centred on Mathieu van der Poel’s hints about stepping back from cyclocross, Van Aert is already making some changes on the road. Belgian daily Het Laatste Nieuws reports that the Visma – Lease a Bike leader is moving away from the model he’s used to prepare the past several years.

Italy over Belgium

Traditionally, Van Aert has used a March altitude camp following the Opening Weekend (Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne) as a key block ahead of the cobbled Classics. That phase now appears to be off the table. Instead, he plans to line up for Strade Bianche and Milan–San Remo.

From there, his spring would flow into the usual northern Classics. The Tour de France will once again anchor his summer. The longer-term goal remains the 2026 UCI road world championships. The circuit closely mirrors the finishing laps of the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal. Back in 2022, the Belgian had a solid ride, finishing second to Tadej Pogačar.

Course reveal: Mont Royal hightlights Montréal 2026 road world championships route

Many riders are expected to use the Quebec–Montreal WorldTour double as a final tune-up since they land just before. (And, well, both races are down the street.)

Van Aert may take a different route after the Tour, potentially racing the Vuelta a España instead of the Grands Prix. It would also give him a chance to finish what was left incomplete after a crash in the 2024 race.

Whether the full plan is finalized remains unclear. The same goes for his ‘cross season. It’s still up in the air whether Van Aert adds the 2026 cyclocross worlds in Hulst to his winter schedule. Last year (well, this year, last season) he hadn’t planned to race the worlds, but at the 11th hour decided to jump in. He finished second to his long-time rival Mathieu van der Poel. Van der Poel will be hoping to break the all-time record for wins there–currently he is tied with seven. And, if he does win, that may be the end of his ‘cross career, he recently said.