Cramps take Van Aert out of the race and Daan Soete wins the Belgian Gravel Championship

Wout van Aert did not achieve the expected result in the Belgian Gravel Championship, Daan Soete, his friend and regular training partner, attacked in the last kilometers and left solo while Van Aert began to suffer from cramps after having spent a good part of his strength trying to break the race.

Daan Soete surprises Wout van Aert in the Belgian Gravel Championship

The outcome also had a special component. The two have known each other for years, train together regularly, and were competing on roads located just a few kilometers from Herentals, where they both grew up. A race that Van Aert had included in his calendar as preparation for La Vuelta ended up becoming a duel between two friends for the Belgian champion's jersey.

Van Aert arrived in Grobbendonk as the big favorite. It was the first time he competed in the Belgian Gravel Championship, and what initially seemed like a competitive training session before his participation in La Vuelta turned into a demanding race in which Van Aert took on much of the responsibility.

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The more than 150-kilometer race consolidated a leading group of five riders that included both Van Aert and Soete, but the final selection came 22 kilometers from the finish. Van Aert launched a strong acceleration that ultimately left only Soete on his wheel.

The move was very close to breaking even the eventual champion. Soete later acknowledged that he was on the limit when Van Aert accelerated next to the highway and that a small problem with his rival momentarily uncliping from a pedal helped him maintain contact. 

From there, the two training partners were left alone at the front, and everything pointed towards a head-to-head until the finish.

Cramps leave Van Aert without a response

Van Aert tried to keep the breakaway alive and ensure that both arrived ahead at the decisive section. That effort ended up taking its toll.

With about three kilometers to go, Soete accelerated, and this time Van Aert could not respond. Television images showed the Visma | Lease a Bike rider repeatedly looking down at his bike, which initially could suggest some mechanical problem.

se fait distancer à 2km de l'arrivée. est champion de Belgique de Gravel 2026 ! #Cycling #BKGravel #Gravel #WVA #WoutVanAert #DaanSoete pic.twitter.com/o1oo22nkfS

— Pickx Sports (@PickxSports) August 16, 2026

The explanation came after crossing the finish line: the problem was in his legs.

“I spent a lot of energy during the race,” explained Van Aert, who admitted to having reached the last kilometers on the verge of cramps.

The Belgian also considered that his insistence on maintaining the breakaway of two riders could have been decisive in the outcome. He had worked to prevent the pursuers from returning and to arrive with Soete at the resolution of the race, but that effort left him unable to respond to his partner's last move.

“I really tried to make sure we could arrive together at the finish. That probably cost me the victory in the end,” he explained after the race.

Soete took advantage of the situation to open the definitive gap and arrive solo at the finish, conquering the Belgian Gravel Championship ahead of one of the big favorites.

Missing out on a national championship after being left with only one other rider at the front could be particularly frustrating, but the context made Van Aert interpret the second place in a different way.

“We ride on these roads almost daily; after all, we grew up together,” explained Van Aert, who described it as surreal to find himself with Soete contesting together the decisive part of a Belgian Championship. 

La Vuelta a España will start next Saturday, August 22, in Monaco, just six days after this Belgian Championship. Van Aert humorously summarized the contrast between the two races after crossing the finish line: “From Kempen to Monaco, there is a bit of a difference.”