Wout Van Aert's Interview Before Clásica Jaén 2025 With Daniel Arribas

Wout van Aert's interview before Clásica Jaén 2025 with Daniel Arribas

He looks up, smiles shyly and offers his fist in a gesture that is here to stay after the pandemic. Under the winter sun that paints the terrace of the Hotel RL Ciudad de Úbeda orange, Wout van Aert sits down and, while fiddling with the Relevo microphone, listens attentively to his press officer: "This interview was going to take place at the Vuelta a España, Wout, but in the end it couldn't be".

The Belgian crashed at his best , when he was wearing the regularity jersey of the Spanish Grand Tour after achieving three stage victories in the first two weeks. Then came the fateful descent of Collada Llomena, on the way to the Lakes of Covadonga , where he lost control of the bike and ended up against a stone wall where, minutes later, with his bloody knee resting in the Visma-Lease a Bike car, he said goodbye to the race.

"I should have come to the hospital in Santander for an interview ," the Dutch star suggested before his debut in the Jaén Classic , where 24 hours after recording the interview, he finished six minutes behind the winner, Michal Kwiatkowski . "Would you have liked that?" the press officer was surprised. "No, not really," he replied, revealing the irony with a childish laugh. That's Van Aert, talent in abundance and the aura of a champion despite a track record that, according to many, seems destined to languish in comparison to what his figure represents.

“Standing still is the same as retreating” is a phrase you’ve been saying a lot lately. Why?

It's actually a very common phrase in Flemish and it makes sense if you think about it. I think everyone is constantly trying to improve, so if you keep doing the same thing, your level will stagnate and that's a problem. In today's cycling, the level keeps increasing.

How hard was that fall in the Vuelta a España?

It was very hard, both physically and mentally. Physically, I think we underestimated the consequences of the fall. At first it seemed like there were no major fractures in the knee, so it was thought that it would be something quick, but it turned out to be a complicated injury . I had much more damage than we had initially thought. Mentally, it was a major setback. At the Vuelta I had finally felt like a winner again. I was back at my best, so it was very difficult to take in.

Especially starting from scratch.

The truth is that I didn't want to start another rehabilitation. All my goals were so far away and it was hard. I had already been through something like this and I felt that I didn't want to start from scratch. Luckily, in October I started to feel better [the fall was on September 3], so I started doing more rehabilitation exercises, more sessions and the occasional bike ride.

Take us to the most difficult day of that recovery.

It's hard to pick one, but I remember that in mid-October I had two or three days where after getting back on the bike and doing some light work with the physio, my knee swelled up so much that we had to go to the doctor urgently. As soon as we arrived, they had to drain all the fluid from my knee and I was told to rest again for several days. That moment was probably one of the hardest of the whole process. It had been six weeks since the fall and I felt like I was back to square one.

I think everyone in cycling agrees that you are a generational talent, but if we look at your list of achievements, you only have one monument. What explanation do you find for that?

Well, I haven't won all the others [smiles]. Well, for me... [thinks for a few seconds] You can't make a list of the best riders and say how many monuments each one should win. I think it's about getting close. Obviously those who have won several monuments have done so because they are very talented cyclists, but I think that to say how good a rider is, many other characteristics come into play. So far I've only won one Milan-San Remo ...

Others would like to have that "only".

Yes, that's what I mean, it's not "just" one. In the end, in the peloton there are many cyclists with a very high level who are fighting every day for the same objectives as me. In the other monuments I have competed in I have been close and that is something that keeps me motivated to keep trying. That is what I am going to do as long as I am still active.

Beyond the bad luck, which you have had on several occasions, do you do any self-criticism?

Self-criticism in what sense?

In finding the reason why you may have fewer successes than you deserve.

Well, look, I try not to think that I deserve more than what I have. I think that at some point, life gives you what you deserve. That, and no other, is the reason why I keep trying every season. My second place in the Tour of Flanders [in 2020] was a very tight finish. I could have won that day, because I was very close with Mathieu [van der Poel] , but in the end it came up tails. It wasn't to be. Still, I have no regrets about it. It happened and that's it.

Are you fed up with this rivalry with Van der Poel?

No, I wouldn't say so. A few years ago it was tough for me, especially trying to figure out how to handle him. Now I don't think so. Mathieu is a tremendous athlete. It's normal that I lose to him a lot . What I'm trying to do is to appreciate more and more that I'm the one who comes closest to him and who offers him the most competition, so I think it's a very nice rivalry.

I don't know if you've ever shared a moment together outside of competition.

No, we have never shared time outside of cycling. After all, he is a rival and, realistically, it is difficult to have a close relationship with each other. Maybe one day, when we are retired, we can do it.

How do you think you will be remembered?

What I think people like is that we are, at least on the surface, two very different people. I think, and I speak for myself here, that I am more of a family man. I also have my goals spread out more throughout the season; that is, I try to be at my best on many occasions throughout the year. I also like to race in the Grand Tours [Giro, Tour and Vuelta] , which I don't know if Mathieu likes as much... In short, I think that this combination of things is what people like to see in us. We are very different.

Clear and direct: how can you beat Van der Poel and Pogacar in Flanders?

Wow, that's a very good question [laughs]. First and foremost, I think I want to go to the Tour of Flanders with the legs I had when I crashed last year in Dwars door Vlaanderen. I truly believe that it was the best preparation of my life for Flanders. Another thing to keep in mind is that I'm at an age where I can really play out my full potential. I mean, I don't have to wait for anything anymore. Then it's true that Flanders is a very tough race. Tactically you need to be in a good position at all times. For me, I think it's easier when Tadej [Pogacar] is racing, because he's highly likely to put forward a very long and tough finish. If you have the legs to be able to follow him, I think you can find yourself in a new race from that point on.

Is it possible to beat Pogacar at the Tour de France if he is at last year's level?

Yes, I think so. It's clear that he made a significant step forward last year. He was more dominant than he's ever been, but as everyone knows, we had a difficult season as a team. Luck wasn't on our side at all, we had a lot of crashes, and especially our leader Jonas [Vingegaard] couldn't come to the Tour de France with the ideal preparation. I'm looking forward to seeing how everything will go when he can get back to full preparation and have a real battle with Tadej. I think that's the biggest dream of any fan right now. And that's what we're working towards as a team.

Have you made any decisions regarding the World Cup in Rwanda?

No, I haven't made the decision yet. My plan has always been to do the first part of the season, which is quite packed with the classics, the Giro and the Tour. I want to do that first, hopefully achieving all my goals, which would be fantastic; and then in the summer, after the Tour, I'll see how I feel for the second part of the season .

[For context, the World Cycling Championships are being held this year in Rwanda. To go to Kigali, the country's capital, it is recommended that cyclists be vaccinated against yellow fever, something that, together with the very tough profile of the road race, is influencing the decision of many riders. Without going any further, Mathieu van der Poel, champion in 2023, has already declared that he will not go to the world event because it does not fit his characteristics]

Have you been vaccinated yet? The press in your country has reported that Remco Evenepoel and Tiesj Benoot have already done so.

No, I haven't been vaccinated yet. If I do end up going, I will obviously have to get vaccinated, but at this point in the season I haven't done or decided anything about it yet.

You've just entered your thirties. How many more years do you have left at the top level?

To be honest, it's hard to say. I race every day against riders who at 35 are not only racing well, but even better than when they were 30. For others, however, the change comes earlier. I don't really know. I'm 30 and it's true that I feel a bit old already in a peloton with so many young guys [laughs], but at the same time, I still feel young. I started relatively late in the WorldTour [at 23] because I started my career in cyclocross, so to be honest, I'm not thinking of slowing down yet.

And after cycling, what? Is there anything that excites you beyond family?

It's a good question, because look... cycling is my life. It's been my passion since I was eight years old. I think that to a certain extent I'll want to continue being involved in this sport, but at the same time I don't see myself tied to a team or as a sports director, since those are roles in which you have to travel a lot. I think it's more a question of what crosses my mind at the moment when I have to decide. It's also possible, as you say, that I'll focus on making up for all those days when I haven't been a good father, being away from home. Perhaps what I'm most excited about is starting some project with my wife. It would be a dream for both of us.