'It hurts, because it’s my team' - Wout van Aert on Visma and cycling’s burnout issue

On the Live Slow Ride Fast podcast, Van Aert was asked the question that keeps coming back to Visma. In recent years, Team Visma | Lease a Bike has seen several high-profile riders stop or step back, among them Tom Dumoulin, Simon Yates and Fem van Empel.

Each decision had its own reasons, but the recurring theme of mental strain has made Visma a focal point in the broader burnout debate.

Van Aert understands why the question comes up, but he is uneasy with the framing. “To make it something that belongs to our team, I find that a pity,” he said. “It even hurts a bit, because I really see it as my team.”

He feels the narrative has become an unfair generalisation. “I have the biggest respect for the decisions of, for example, Fem and Simon,” he said, “but they have nothing to do with the environment in our team.” According to Van Aert, there is actually a lot of room to talk about how you feel and to take a different approach, especially when a rider wants to be home more.

For him, reducing a sport-wide issue to one environment misses the point. “Cycling is still cycling,” he added. “It’s a hard sport that asks a lot of sacrifices.”

What has changed, in his view, is not the difficulty of the job but the way it is managed. “Those sacrifices are maybe even bigger because of the data era we’re in,” Van Aert said. “Everything is constantly measured, and you constantly have to report how you train, how you sleep, where you are.” 

His conclusion was clear. “It’s not freestyle anymore.” 

Inside Van Aert’s comments, there is another layer that teams rarely discuss on the record: what happens to self reliance when everything is provided. Drawing on his cyclocross background, he explained how earlier in his career he had to manage his own problems. “If I have an injury, like with my ankle now, I look for my own physio. You look for your own doctor. You sort things out yourself.” 

That experience still shapes him. “If I ride well and something is wrong, I know who to call. Because I have to train again tomorrow.” 

He contrasts that with what he sees around him now. “Sometimes young riders have a small problem, and they think, I’ll call the team, because I don’t really know how to solve this. That’s about the most basic things.” 

This dependence is not a moral failing. It is the logical result of a sport that increasingly removes decision-making from the rider. When training blocks, rest days and recovery protocols are pre-programmed, there is little space left to develop judgement. 

“The downside is that everything is arranged for you,” Van Aert said. “And you stop thinking for yourself.” 

His message is not anti-science or anti-structure. Cycling is faster because of professionalisation. But as the system tightens, Van Aert’s words raise an unavoidable question. In a sport where everything is measured, is there still enough room left for the rider as a human being?