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Van Aert, who has 49 professional wins to his name, also boasts 45 second places as well as 33 thirds. Credit: René Hourdry. Creative Commons
A drop in form, reasons for optimism – and a stark confession: “I’ve lost my sprint”.
“I wish that I knew why my sprint didn’t work this spring. In a recent short interview, Belgian star Wout Von Aert lamented that they had not done anything different.
So far in 2025, Van Aert has taken three runner-up spots – in the Brabantse Pijl, Dwars door Vlaanderen (where Visma were left red-faced by Neilson Powless), and in the Algarve time trial, which went to teammate Jonas Vingegaard. He’s also finished fourth twice – and not just anywhere: at the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.
Van Aert’s ranking in the UCI is based solely upon 2025 points. Above him, the sensational Juan Ayuso is just a few points ahead. Below Ayuso are Tim Merlier (Soudal), Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) and season’s leading scorers Tim Merlier. Many fans still feel that Wout owes something to them.
The statistics of his career only add to the unease. Van Aert, who has 49 professional wins to his name, also boasts 45 second-place finishes and 33 3rds. It’s only 38.5% of the time that Van Aert is on the podium. And the numbers from the last three seasons (2023–2025) are even starker: just 10 wins out of 40 podiums – a mere 25%. He’s close but not there.
What is going wrong for Van Aert?
Wout claims that his training has not changed. From the outside, that checks out: he’s still hitting Mount Teide in March and enduring Visma’s famously brutal training regimes – often seven-hour rides at a pace most can’t even match in a race.
Maybe the real reason is somewhere else. Here are a few reasons that could be the cause.
- Injury and that infamous leg wound His horrific crash during the Vuelta may have caused lasting injuries. Getting back to peak form – especially in today’s hyper-competitive peloton – is no easy task, even for a rider of his calibre in the ‘Big Six’.
- Overexertion or a lack in confidence. Van Aert, who lost in Dwars Door Vlaanderen in the Belgian National Championships, admitted that he had adamantly pursued a sprint finish at Waregem in order to make up for his defeat. It is not necessary to use Win.
- Age. Wout is 31 this September, but has been performing at a high level, including in cycling, since 2013.
We may well be witnessing a transition – much like Peter Sagan experienced in the latter part of his career.
The comparison with Sagan may seem odd at first – the Slovak had far more wins (over 120 as a pro) and a very different style. Yet the similarities are compelling. Sagan was also able to climb when needed. Sagan, who won the 2015 Tour of California, was able to climb at times.
Sagan’s winning ways changed once he stopped using that explosive kick. Sagan reinvented his winning ways after losing his explosive kick. He won both the 2015 Worlds, and the 2016 Tour of Flanders on his own.
There is Hope for Wout
Van Aert is still tearing up races – with or without team support. He’s been pinning his hopes on sprinting, but it hasn’t worked out. Perhaps his salvation is to return to solo attacks, which leave the group in ruins.
There are still many reasons to believe.
In the very same Brabantse Pijl, he pushed Evenepoel to the brink on the penultimate climb up the Moskesstraat – nearly dropping him altogether. The hunter turned into the hunted.
La Vuelta 2024 – his last Grand Tour – was a showpiece. He took three stage wins – with a textbook sprint in Castelo Branco, a reduced bunch finish in Córdoba, and a masterful breakaway in Baiona. Even if you feel frustrated in the moment, there is still hope for the future.
