Wout van Aert to miss World Championships, set to conclude ‘busy season’ in September.

Belgian opts for Canadian one-day races and Super 8 Classic to close out year after two Grand Tours

August 9, 2025 Dailypressnewz Cycling 0

Belgium’s Wout van Aert (Visma–Lease a Bike) will wrap up his 2025 season after the Deutschland Tour and four one-day races, skipping both the European and World Championships, his team has announced.

Having already tackled the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France this year, Van Aert was initially uncertain about competing at the World Championships in Rwanda, but has now confirmed he will not take part. His final race will be the Super 8 Classic in Belgium on September 20.

Before that, he will line up at the Deutschland Tour (August 20–24), the Bretagne Classic (August 31), and Canada’s GP de Québec and GP de Montréal (September 12 and 14). While riders such as Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates–XRG) will use these races to prepare for Worlds, Van Aert will instead finish his season at home.

“It’s important to set meaningful targets for the final part of the year, and with this schedule we’ve done that,” Van Aert said. “After such a busy season, it’s also vital not to overdo it, so we’ve decided to end my season after the Super 8 Classic and skip the Worlds and Europeans.”

Van Aert has now completed four consecutive Grand Tours in the past 12 months, two this year and two last year scoring stage victories in three of them, including stage 21 of this year’s Tour de France. Alongside a full Spring Classics campaign, he says he is pleased with his 2025 season, which began in February at the Clásica Jaén.

“It’s been a great year, with major goals coming one after another,” he reflected. “As in most years, the Spring Classics and the Tour were my main objectives. I’m glad I finally got to ride the Giro, and the variety just like when I raced the Vuelta for the first time last year is something I find very motivating.”

Currently ranked fourth in the UCI standings, Van Aert could have been a strong contender in the road race or time trial at Worlds and Europeans. However, the hilly Rwandan course may not have suited him, and his absence leaves Belgium without a key support rider for Remco Evenepoel’s world title ambitions.