Van Aert Deflated by Late Puncture in Season Debut

Always unlucky Wout van Aert was derailed by a late bike change in his season debut at Le Samyn on Tuesday, but Visma-Lease a Bike might have seen some classics hope nonetheless.

The team’s young Norseman Per Strand Hagenens attacked out of the breakaway over a fast section of pavé at around 30km to go and was only caught by the charging bunch in the closing kilometer.

It was a breakout ride for the 22-year-old after a difficult neo pro season in 2025.

Pre-race favorite Jordi Meeus outkicked Laurenz Rex (Soudal-Quick Step) and Hugo Hofstetter (NSN) in the final sprint to take his Red Bull super team to double figures for 2026.

With 10 victories for the year, Remco Evenepoel’s new squad is second in the win rankings behind only UAE Emirates.

Van Aert builds back for Strade Bianche brawl

Tuesday’s cobblestone classic marked WVA’s long-awaited comeback to racing after he broke his ankle in the cyclocross winter and was then struck down by sickness ahead of a planned start at this weekend’s Omloop.

Van Aert indicated at the start he wasn’t expecting much from his first road race since September after a brutal illness caught him cold over the weekend.

“I’m feeling fit again after a rather bad stomach bug,” Van Aert told VTM before the start of Tuesday’s race. “I haven’t been able to eat properly for a few days. I’ve been feeling a bit weak on the bike so far.

“I wonder if I’ll be fit enough to perform,” he said.

The 31-year-old duly cut a low profile all through the race Tuesday and missed the split that allowed his teammate Hagenes to get away.

Van Aert’s day ultimately ended 10km from the line when he was forced to change bikes.

It was a typically unlucky start for Belgium’s fan favorite, but Visma might consider it a success to see him on a bike at all.

The stakes will be significantly higher for Van Aert and Visma on Saturday when they face off with Tadej Pogačar at Strade Bianche.

“Wout’s feeling was OK, we didn’t expect him to be great today,” Visma director Grischa Niermann told HLN at the finish. “It’s a shame he couldn’t sprint, but we shouldn’t draw too many conclusions after today.

“It was good to have ridden one more race before Strade.”