Wout van Aert has withdrawn from Omloop Het Nieuwsblad after illness, delaying his 2026 season debut and blunting an early showdown with Mathieu van der Poel as Team Visma-Lease a Bike recalibrates its Classics plans.
Wout van Aert will not start Omloop Het Nieuwsblad this Saturday, after illness forced the Belgian to withdraw from what was set to be his 2026 season debut.
Team Visma-Lease a Bike confirmed the news on Thursday, describing the absence as a setback at the very start of the spring Classics campaign.
The team did not specify the nature of the illness and gave no firm update on whether van Aert will recover in time for the Ename Samyn Classic on Tuesday.
“Obviously, it’s a big blow for me to miss out on my first race, having prepared for the classics season the whole winter,” van Aert said. “We had a good training camp at Sierra Nevada, and I was feeling really strong. But unfortunately, it’s also that time of the year where it’s easy to fall ill. I remain positive about the feeling I had in training and am confident that I will be able to return to racing soon. Just not this Saturday.”
The 31-year-old had been building toward a clean launch to his Classics campaign after fracturing his ankle at the Exact Cross race in Mol on January 2. Surgery and a disrupted training block, including poor weather at altitude camp, already complicated his winter preparation.
His absence removes the anticipated early-season clash with Mathieu van der Poel and reshapes the dynamic of the Belgian opener.
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