Wout van Aert will make his 2026 road season debut at Le Samyn Classic on Tuesday, with organisers confirming on Monday morning that the Belgian will start in Quaregnon after illness ruled him out of Opening Weekend.
Van Aert had been due to begin his campaign at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad on Saturday, but Team Visma | Lease a Bike withdrew him late in the week as he fell ill in the build-up to the race. The team did not specify the illness, and there was no immediate clarity on whether Le Samyn would also be affected, until the race itself confirmed his presence on the start list.
A disrupted winter, and a reset on the cobbles
The return comes after a stop-start preparation. Van Aert broke his ankle at the start of the year and required surgery, before heading to altitude at Sierra Nevada to rebuild his condition. Even that block was not completely smooth, with poor weather forcing him indoors for portions of the camp.
He was, however, seen back on the bike on Sunday, and Tuesday’s Le Samyn Classic now becomes a first public test of where the legs are at after the latest illness.
What it means for the rest of his early spring
Le Samyn is not the same type of race as Omloop, but it offers a familiar Belgian stress test: positioning, repeated cobbled sectors on the finishing circuit, and a hard, gritty rhythm that can punish any lack of sharpness. It is a useful way to re-enter competition before bigger objectives come into view.
Van Aert is expected to continue with a programme that includes Strade Bianche on Saturday, his first appearance there since 2021, followed by Tirreno-Adriatico next week. From there, the calendar turns toward his major spring targets in Milan-San Remo, the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.
The question is how much the winter setbacks, and this latest bout of illness, have shifted his ability to hit peak form for those races. Le Samyn should at least give the first clear indication of how quickly he has been able to stabilise his season.
A long gap since his last road start
Tuesday’s start also ends a lengthy break from road racing. Van Aert’s last race of any kind was Mol cyclocross on January 2nd, where he did not finish due to illness. His most recent road appearance was Super 8 Classic in late September 2025, where he finished 18th.
Whatever the result in Wallonia, the key point is simply that Van Aert is racing again, and that matters in a spring where every week of momentum can count.
