Visma-Lease a Bike announced on Wednesday the extension of Wout Van Aert (30 years old) “until the end of his career”. The Belgian was initially linked to the team until 2026.
A rarity in cycling. This Wednesday, Visma-Lease a Bike announced the extension of Wout Van Aert, who was already tied to the structure until 2026. If teams usually give an indication of duration, this time the Dutch team informed that the Belgian had committed “until the end of his career”. A sort of lifelong contract.
“We didn’t have to think about it for long”
Having joined his current team in 2019, Wout Van Aert has therefore “decided to stay forever” with Visma-Lease a Bike. At just 30 years old, the nine-time stage winner on the Tour de France can therefore hope to continue for another four or five seasons, or even more if his physique and motivation hold up.
“It’s unique in our sport, but we didn’t have to think about it for long,” commented Richard Plugge, boss of Visma-Lease a Bike. “I didn’t have to think about it for long when the idea came to me,” confirmed Wout Van Aert, who felt “very comfortable in this team.”
“We work with the best people and the best equipment,” Wout Van Aert also said. “Together we are constantly looking for improvements, which means that we continue to develop individually but also as a team. I owe a lot of my success to that, we really do it together.”
Van Aert has already ended his season
Triple cyclo-cross world champion between 2016 and 2018, Wout Van Aert has taken on another dimension on the road since he moved with Visma-Lease a Bike, formerly Jumbo-Visma. His greatest successes were achieved with the “hornets”: Milan-San Remo, the Strade Bianche and the Amstel Gold Race are among his achievements.
Wout Van Aert still dreams of winning the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix before he retires. Leader in the classics, the very versatile “WVA” is also a valuable support for Jonas Vingegaard on the Tour de France. On the Grande Boucle, the Belgian won the green jersey in 2022, on the sidelines of the Dane’s final victory.
Van Aert is coming off a 2024 season marked by numerous crashes, the latest of which was at the Tour of Spain, forcing him to retire after returning to an excellent level. We will therefore have to wait until 2025 to see Van Aert back on the road, having ended his season due to injuries.
