The Belgian will hope for an equally competitive performance in De Ronde, where he finished second in 2020 and fourth place last year.<\/p>\n
But he has acknowledged that he is no longer in the prime years of his career and that calling it a day has crossed his mind.<\/p>\n
\u201dFrom the moment I turned 30 and unofficially belonged to the older generation of the peloton, I started thinking about it sometimes,\u201d Van Aert told Het Laatste Nieuws<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201dThe older our children get, the more often that happens. Do I really think about quitting? Yes and no.”<\/p>\n ‘Nice if the finish was 150m earlier’ – Van Aert reacts after being pipped on run to line <\/p>\n Video credit: TNT Sports<\/p>\n Van Aert turned professional in 2013 and has been a key figure for Visma since 2019.<\/p>\n While retirement is not imminent, he suggested he is not likely to be riding into his late 30s.<\/p>\n “When that thought crosses my mind sometimes, a minute later I\u2019m thinking again about how I can prepare 100% for the Spring Classics and what choices I need to make,” he said. <\/p>\n “That thought is certainly not at the forefront but the chance is greater that I will have stopped within five years than that I will still be a rider.\u201d<\/p>\n Van Aert, who has two young sons, emphasised the importance of his family life.<\/p>\n “I think it\u2019s wonderful to be able to involve them in my career,” he said. “The eldest already understands a lot about racing too. He thinks it\u2019s absolutely magical to see those buses, the podium, and everything that goes with the race.”<\/p>\n On his post-career plans, he added: \u201dI don\u2019t plan on just sitting on the couch. I am in a privileged situation where I am earning a good living and hopefully will continue to do so for a while. We also try to be sensible with money.<\/p>\n \u201dAbove all, I hope that I can experience the same thing later on as I do now. Doing what I love and not feeling like I\u2019m working, but hopefully being home a bit more.\u201d<\/p>\n How to watch the 2026 Tour of FlandersThe men’s race will be live on TNT Sports 3 and HBO Max<\/a>. Coverage begins at 08:30 UK time, with the action getting underway approximately half an hour later.Coverage of the women’s race begins at 14:00 on TNT Sports 4 and HBO Max<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n TNT Sports is available across all major TV platforms, offering a line-up of up to four TV channels (TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports 2, TNT Sports 3, TNT Sports 4), and up to six digital or red-button channels (TNT Sports 5 to 10), and TNT Sports Ultimate plus TNT Sports Box Office HD.<\/p>\n![\"picture\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-201e04db-7709-46b3-9f50-232865f3670d-85-2560-1440.jpeg\")
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