Van Aert is set to begin his eighth season in the yellow-and-black colours of Team Visma | Lease a Bike. The 31-year-old Belgian is aiming to play a prominent role once again in the key races of the cycling calendar in 2026. Following a busy spring classics campaign, Van Aert is also targeting success in the Tour de France, the Vuelta a España and the World Championships in Canada.

“In the spring, I want to be there from Omloop Het Nieuwsblad all the way through to Roubaix. I want to show myself everywhere and seize every opportunity that comes my way,” says Van Aert. “Unlike recent seasons, I’ll be back on the start line of the Italian classics Strade Bianche and Milan–San Remo. After my victory in Siena during last year's Giro d’Italia, I realised that Strade Bianche, despite the changes to the course, still suits my qualities very well. I consider Strade Bianche and Milan–San Remo to be among the most beautiful races of the season, so I definitely don’t want to miss them in 2026.”

“Of course, monuments like Tour of Flanders, Paris–Roubaix and Milan–San Remo remain the main objectives of the season, but every other race I start also means a great deal to me,” Van Aert adds. 

Several major goals also await Van Aert in the summer, including the Critérium du Dauphiné (from 2026 renamed the Tour Auvergne–Rhône-Alpes) and the Tour de France. “When I look at the Tour de France route, the team time trial immediately stands out to me,” Van Aert explains. “My first Tour in 2019 started with a team time trial in Brussels, and we won it. That’s still a very special memory for me. For the coming season, we’ll have a strong line-up and I also see a number of opportunities to go for stage wins myself.”

After the Tour de France, Van Aert will turn his focus to riding the Vuelta a España. In 2024, he was forced to abandon the race while leading both the points and the mountains classifications. “I still have unfinished business in the Vuelta,” Van Aert grins. “It was a painful exit in 2024, but I’ll return with a lot of motivation. As a team, we can certainly achieve something special there. In addition, the World Championships in Canada have been on my mind for a long time. I see the Vuelta as an ideal preparation to be at my best level there.”

“Winning a monument in 2026 would be the icing on the cake of my career, but above all I hope to be able to race a consistent season. The past few years have had their ups and downs, so my biggest dream is simply a carefree season. If that happens, the results will follow naturally,” Van Aert concludes.