🎥 Van Aert would love to see Frenchman at Visma | Lease a Bike: "I've always liked his racing style"

Wout van Aert has nothing to complain about regarding support at Visma | Lease a Bike, but if he had his way, he would love to add three riders to the Dutch formation or a team he could form in his imagination. At least he was allowed to respond to a question from Relevo.

Visma | Lease a Bike has become a dominant force in almost all competitions in recent years. In the grand tours, it has won several times in recent years with Jonas Vingegaard and Sepp Kuss, and now Primoz Roglic has been added to that list. In the spring, it made its mark with, in addition to van Aert, Dylan van Baarle, Tiesj Benoot, Matteo Jorgenson, and the meanwhile departed Jan Tratnik on the winning side.

In 2025, Van Aert can count on enormous support in the one-day race, with, in addition to Van Baarle, Jorgenson, and Benoot, the young Niklas Behrens, compatriot Victor Campenaerts and the French newcomer Axel Zingle on the team. When asked to name three riders he would like to add to the Killer Bees or a team of his own; he already seems quite satisfied.

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Van Aert chooses good friends (because Pogacar is not allowed)

The first name he mentions is Benoot. He already rides with him, but Van Aert simply thinks too highly of him as a friend and teammate, not to mention him. "Based on his results, I would say Pogacar, but if I had to leave the big stars out of consideration, I would sign Tiesj. He is a great friend and a fantastic all-round rider in all areas. He is always a good choice."

Then, he keeps it close to home. "Then I would choose my best friend, Daan Soete. He is a professional cyclo-cross racer and a great guy. I am convinced he would be a great training partner, which is very important to me. The third? That's difficult, I don't know. There are so many talented riders..."

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Van Aert mentions Valentin Madouas

Eventually, he comes up with an answer, and you might be surprised by his choice. "I'll go with Valentin Madouas. I almost forgot that he came in second at the Olympics, and he's someone who remains very much out of the spotlight. But he is a super versatile rider, and I have always loved his racing style."

This is not a surprise because Van Aert had already come up against Madouas several times in the Tour of Flanders and the Tour de France, for example. The 28-year-old Frenchman currently rides for Groupama-FDJ, where he has already collected a nice track record. He became French champion on the road in 2023, third in De Ronde in 2022, and third in Strade Bianche in 2023. Who knows, maybe he can one day rise to the top at Visma | Lease a Bike...

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