Cyclist Wout van Aert to forego World Championships, wrapping up season in September
The UCI Road World Championships in Rwanda, scheduled for 21-28 September, will see the absence of four-time silver medallist Wout van Aert. The Belgian cyclist has decided to skip the prestigious event for the second consecutive year, opting instead to focus on the remaining races in his updated schedule.
Van Aert, a member of the Visma-Lease a Bike team, has had an intense season, participating in two Grand Tours - the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France, where he won a stage at both. He also placed second at the cyclo-cross World Championships at the start of the year, and finished runner-up in the road race at the World Championships in Glasgow in 2023.
In 2020, Van Aert achieved a remarkable feat by placing second in both the road race and the individual time trial at the Worlds in Imola, Italy. However, he has chosen to prioritise rest and recovery, setting important goals for the last part of the season to avoid overdoing it.
The UCI Road World Championships in Rwanda will feature one of the toughest routes in history, with 5,475m of elevation gain for the elite men over a 267.5km course. Tadej Pogacar, the recent Tour de France winner, is expected to defend his road race title at the event.
Despite skipping the World Championships, Van Aert will compete at four more races this year. These include the Deutschland Tour (August 20-24), Bretagne Classic – Ouest-France (August 31), GP de Québec (September 12), GP de Montréal (September 14), and the Flemish one-day Super 8 Classic (September 20), which will mark the end of his season for 2025.
The official start list for the UCI Road World Championships in Rwanda has yet to be confirmed. With Van Aert's decision to focus on the remaining races, other contenders are set to battle it out for the coveted titles in Rwanda.
Sports enthusiasts will have to watch the UCI Road World Championships in Rwanda without the presence of four-time silver medallist Wout van Aert. Despite his outstanding performance in various sports events like the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia, and cyclo-cross World Championships, Van Aert has chosen to focus on remaining races in his updated schedule, including the Deutschland Tour, Bretagne Classic – Ouest-France, GP de Québec, GP de Montréal, and the Flemish one-day Super 8 Classic.
