Wout van Aert explains main driver behind his current form

Compared to recent seasons, Van Aert lines up leaner this spring, something he directly links to performance. Over the past week, he has already shown promising form in Gent-Wevelgem and Dwars door Vlaanderen, where he went on the attack and was only caught in the closing stages.

“If you look at my best results in the Classics, two kilos more or less has made the difference,” he said to Het Laatste Nieuws. “These races are 250 kilometres now. Carrying two kilos less all day can give you that one percent in the final.”

At the same time, he stresses that hitting the right weight is only part of the equation. “It’s a condition to be at my best. But if the weight is right, the legs still have to be there.”

Van Aert believes they are, although he still places Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogačar a step above going into Flanders, with Remco Evenepoel another rider likely to influence the dynamics of the race.

“I hope to be one of their main challengers,” he said.

Earlier in his career, fuelled by performances such as dropping Tadej Pogačar on Hautacam and winning a tough mountain stage on Mont Ventoux, speculation grew that Wout van Aert could target a Grand Tour general classification.

Van Aert admits the idea crossed his mind, but he quickly realised it was not realistic.

“I was realistic enough to know that even when I had exceptional days in the mountains, I paid for it the day after,” he said. “If you want to go for a general classification, you have to be there every day.”

“I thought maybe if I lost a few more kilos I could get close. But I quickly realised that wasn’t realistic. At some point you get to know yourself, and you learn to appreciate what you’re good at.”

He did give it a try in 2021, targeting Tirreno-Adriatico, where he finished second overall, more than a minute behind Tadej Pogačar.

As Van Aert moves further into his thirties, thoughts about the end of his career have started to surface, even if only occasionally.

“Since I turned 30 and unofficially became one of the older riders in the peloton, it’s something that crosses my mind from time to time,” he said. “The older our children get, the more often that happens...”

At the same time, those thoughts remain far from decisive.

“Do I really think about stopping? Yes and no,” he said. “When the thought comes up, a minute later I’m already thinking again about how I can prepare 100 percent for the spring and what choices I need to make.”

For now, the focus remains firmly on the present.

“It’s definitely not at the forefront of my mind, but there’s a bigger chance that I’ll have stopped within five years than that I’ll still be a rider.”