{"id":726634,"date":"2025-11-22T20:53:09","date_gmt":"2025-11-22T17:53:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=726634"},"modified":"2025-11-22T20:53:09","modified_gmt":"2025-11-22T17:53:09","slug":"wout-van-aert-has-a-star-spangled-plan-that-might-save-pro-cycling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=726634","title":{"rendered":"Wout van Aert Has a Star-Spangled Plan That Might Save Pro Cycling"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Updated November 21, 2025 09:59AM<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Bike racing in the USA just got an unlikely new ambassador: A Belgian cobble-basher called Wout van Aert.<\/p>\n

Speaking to The Athletic<\/em> during a recent trip to California, Van Aert outlined his Star-Spangled vision for pro cycling.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a West Coast-accented take influenced by his experience shooting hoops with NBA legend Reggie Miller, watching the L.A. Lakers play the San Antonio Spurs, and headlining a group ride along the Pacific Coast Highway.<\/p>\n

The three pillars of WVA x USA?<\/p>\n

An NBA-inspired financial model, a reborn U.S. race calendar, and some big American dollars.<\/p>\n

Just give the Flandrien a dual passport already.<\/p>\n

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Van Aert calls for a US racing revival<\/h2>\n
Former Tour de France champion Egan Bernal won the Tour of California before it shuttered in 2019.<\/span> (Photo: Chris Graythen\/Getty Images for AEG)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One thing Van Aert can\u2019t get his head around?<\/p>\n

Why there\u2019s not a bigger WorldTour footprint in the USA.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope at some point that we have a bigger American circuit,\u201d Van Aert told The Athletic.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a big market, and basically all the material sponsors that we have, they have their headquarters or offices here. Cycling is \u2018something\u2019 here. It\u2019s a shame that we don\u2019t use this platform to show off on the highest level,\u201d Van Aert said last week.<\/p>\n

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Pro cycling is dramatically shrinking in North America.<\/p>\n

The sport\u2019s biggest teams now only venture across the ocean for the Maryland Classic and the Canadian GPs.<\/p>\n

Nonetheless, Van Aert has faith in USA\u2019s ongoing stoke for cycling.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause we don\u2019t have any big races in the U.S. left on the schedule, you might think it was a sport that has been completely forgotten,\u201d he said. \u201cBut once you\u2019re here, you feel that\u2019s the complete opposite.\u201d<\/p>\n

Van Aert \u2013 who mentioned he hopes to ride Unbound Gravel some day \u2013 never raced the Tours of California or Utah before they shuttered, and is yet to make his debut in Maryland.<\/p>\n

His long-time team Visma-Lease a Bike never sent him to open his season racing in Australia or the Middle East, either.<\/p>\n

And while WVA has spent 99 percent of his career bashing bars in cycling\u2019s European heartland, he doesn\u2019t see travel as an obstacle to a Stateside expansion.<\/p>\n

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\u201cLogistically, I don\u2019t really think it\u2019s an excuse not to organize it,\u201d he told The Athletic<\/em>. \u201cTeams are used to having races overseas. The main problem is that the calendar is so packed. I cannot point to a moment where it would fit. But that\u2019s always tricky.\u201d<\/p>\n

Van Aert\u2019s Californian capers<\/h2>\n
\"Wout
Van Aert has been living the Californian dream during his off-season break.<\/span> (Photo: TOM GOYVAERTS\/Belga\/AFP via Getty Images )<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Van Aert\u2019s trip to the U.S. this month was both work and pleasure.<\/p>\n

This very wholesome video by team Visma-Lease a Bike recaps Belgium\u2019s beloved hanging out with crit star Justin Williams, training with basketball\u2019s \u201cLethal Shooter\u201d Chris Matthews, and zooming around in Porsches.<\/p>\n

Van Aert also spent time with his team and personal sponsors Cerv\u00e9lo and Red Bull.<\/p>\n

The 31-year-old told The Athletic<\/em> he sees the involvement in pro cycling of megabrands like Red Bull as essential to the future of a financially perilous sport.<\/p>\n

This winter, scores of riders and staff have been left out of work after Ark\u00e9a-B&B Hotels shuttered and teams Intermarch\u00e9-Wanty and Lotto merged due to sponsor pressures.<\/p>\n

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\u2018It would be good to have more American brands in cycling\u2019<\/h2>\n
\"Van
Van Aert welcomed global brands like Red Bull coming to cycling. (Photo: Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Van Aert thinks major U.S. corporations could bring stability to a sport historically propped up by local flooring companies, insurance firms, and superstore chains.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a big market. It shouldn\u2019t be like it\u2019s going now, with teams struggling to find sponsors or even disappearing,\u201d Van Aert said.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThere are only very few teams who have big international sponsors,\u201d he continued. \u201cA team like Red Bull, with such a big brand investing in cycling, that\u2019s what I dream of in the future. To see these kinds of sponsors coming to our sport.\u201d<\/p>\n

Austrian energy drink monolith Red Bull is pumping money into road cycling right now.<\/p>\n

Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe became cycling\u2019s newest $50 million \u201csuper team\u201d thanks to the brand\u2019s backing, and it could be a legit Tour de France force with the signing of Remco Evenepoel.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe that we [cycling] have everything to give a lot of value to these brands,\u201d Van Aert said of global giants like Red Bull.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt would be really good to have more American-based brands. They have more money to put into our sport. I hope we won\u2019t read any more stories of this struggling like we\u2019ve had over the past couple of months,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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An NBA-influenced financial model?<\/h2>\n
\"Wout
Van Aert and Poga\u010dar both race for cycling \u2018super teams\u2019 while many other squads struggle to survive.<\/span> (Photo: Etienne Garnier \u2013 Pool\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The third pillar of Van Aert\u2019s U.S. shakeup of pro cycling?<\/p>\n

A radical reinvention of its financial model.<\/p>\n

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WVA envisions a system similar to the NBA, a powerhouse label defined by salary caps, revenue-sharing, and a \u201cfranchise\u201d method of team ownership.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can always learn from other sports,\u201d Van Aert said. \u201cIn general, how the NBA is as a federation, it\u2019s completely different to what we have in cycling.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe financial system they have, that is something we should try and learn from, even though it will be really hard to change that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Getting all those ideas past the UCI might require a White House intervention.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Source URL: https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/van-aert-u-s-vision-pro-cycling\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Updated November 21, 2025 09:59AM Bike racing in the USA just got an unlikely new ambassador: A Belgian cobble-basher called Wout van Aert. Speaking to The Athletic during a recent trip to California, Van Aert outlined his Star-Spangled vision for pro cycling. It\u2019s a West Coast-accented take influenced by his experience shooting hoops with NBA […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":726635,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[71],"class_list":["post-726634","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics","tag-velo-outsideonline-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/726634","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=726634"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/726634\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/726635"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=726634"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=726634"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=726634"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}