Wout van Aert takes gravel route to Vuelta a España with unfinished business

Van Aert will line up in Grobbendonk on Sunday, just six days before the Vuelta a España gets underway in Monaco. He is using the 150 kilometre gravel race as part of his final preparation for a second appearance at the Spanish Grand Tour, having already returned to racing earlier this month at the Tour of Denmark, where he won three stages and the overall classification.

It will also be about as close to home as racing gets. Van Aert lives in nearby Herentals, only a few kilometres from the start and finish, while regular training partner Daan Soete is from Grobbendonk itself.

According to former cyclocross world champion Erwin Vervecken, who is involved in organising the championships for Golazo, there was little need to persuade Van Aert to take part.

"If he starts, it is mainly because he likes doing it," Vervecken told WielerFlits. He added that the race fits into Van Aert's Vuelta preparation and gives him the chance to race on roads and tracks he already regularly uses in training.

There is little pressure attached either. Vervecken described the outing as something Van Aert can approach for enjoyment, with a Belgian title on home terrain an attractive bonus rather than a major objective.

Gravel is hardly new territory for Van Aert. In 2023, he won Houffa Gravel before finishing eighth at the Gravel World Championships in Veneto, despite seeing his chances compromised early in the race.

Earlier this year he returned to the discipline at Marly Grav in Valkenburg, his first race since winning Paris Roubaix 28 days earlier. With no specific preparation, Van Aert attacked with just over 20 kilometres remaining and rode solo to victory.

His preference for the surface has also featured in his training. During an altitude camp in Italy last month, Van Aert completed a 104 kilometre ride with around 3,400 metres of climbing, much of it off road.

Sunday's Belgian championships give Van Aert one final competitive test before attention turns fully to the Vuelta a España, where he returns with unfinished business from his only previous appearance.

Van Aert's only previous participation came in 2024. He won three stages and was leading both the points and mountains classifications when a crash on stage 16 brought his race to an abrupt end.

Earlier this year he described that experience as "unfinished business", and his ambitions for the opening days of the 2026 race are already clear.

The Vuelta begins on August 22 with a nine kilometre individual time trial in Monaco. Van Aert has said he wants to give everything from the opening stage, with the possibility of wearing the leader's red jersey again already in the back of his mind. There should be further opportunities soon after, with Van Aert expecting several chances to fight for stage victories during the opening week.

After the Vuelta, his focus will shift to the World Championships in Montreal, where he is expected to share leadership duties with Remco Evenepoel as Belgium looks to challenge Tadej Pogačar for the rainbow jersey.