Can anyone stop Wout van Aert?

There's simply no stopping Wout van Aert.

The stats say it all: 62 races (49 on the road, 13 in cyclocross), 21 victories. Seven Championship events, five medals – one of them Olympic silver in the road race. A whopping 205 nights away from home, and 31,064 km ridden – more than three-quarters the circumference of the earth, which is 40,075 km.

Van Aert's 2021 numbers are mind-blowing and he isn't slowing down in 2022 either, opening his season with a home victory in Omloop, Belgium.

Now 27 and in his prime, the four-time cyclocross world champion is ripping up the road with help from Jumbo-Visma teammate Primoz Roglic, set to be his biggest ally this season.

Van Aert is part of a generation of multi-discipline cyclists like Dutch flyer Mathieu van der Poel and British 22-year-old Tom Pidcock, who claimed mountain bike cross-country gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics then added the world cyclo-cross title in January 2022.

These versatile, definition-defying cyclists are taking over and a fascinating season awaits.

So what are the goals for Wout van Aert this season?

Wout van Aert: 2022 there for the taking

After a spectacular cyclo-cross season in which he won eight of nine races he entered, Belgium's cycling superstar is swapping one type of grit for another on the open road, and with a victory already under the belt, he's excited for what's to come.

"I've had a good preparation, but I didn't expect it to go so well right away," he said after the win at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad at the end of February, but ever the perfectionist, he also identified where he can improve.

"It's great that I won this race. I could still do better in terms of race intensity because you need that for classics like the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.

"I want to take that step in Paris-Nice, where we will be at the start again with a strong team."

He took that step by winning stage four of Paris-Nice and before handing over the race leader's yellow jersey to teammate Roglic on the following stage. He would later prove essential in his teammate's overall win, helping to hold off a sensational late attack from Simon Yates.

Van Aert ended up with the points leader's green jersey, and a redoubled belief in the Roglic-Van Aert partnership.

"After Friday's stage, I was looking good for winning the points jersey and if you can take it, it's always nice," he said. "I won it in the Dauphiné and Tirreno-Adriatico, and now in Paris-Nice, too."

Wout van Aert resting for classics season

"I leave this race with a good feeling," Van Aert said after sharing the podium with Roglic.

"It was a really hard stage race and actually it was really nice to feel these legs at the end of a hard eight-day race. It's always good for the confidence.

"Now the work is done, let's say, and it's about resting. Hopefully after some days of rest I'll hold the form through the Classics."

With Van Aert crucial to Roglic's victory at Paris-Nice, now it's the Belgian's turn to lead. Attention next turns to Milan-San Remo where Van Aert is out to recover his 2020 title.

Roglic will line up alongside his teammate at the start line of La Classicissima, but he knows his role:

"Yes, definitely I'm there to be the support for Wout," the Slovenian said. "That's why I'm going there."

Wout van Aert's spring classics rivals

Milan-San Remo happens on 19 March in Italy, and Van Aert's plan is to maintain his top form from that into Paris-Roubaix (7 April), with Tour de Flanders sandwiched in between those two main objectives on 2 April.

So who are the main rivals standing between him and a dream spring?

Yves Lampaert, Zdenek Stybar, Kasper Asgreen and Florian Senechal are all on his radar, while Jasper Stuyven – who won Milan-San Remo ahead of Van Aert in third last year – is one to watch out for too.

In an interview with his sponsors, Van Aert admitted that Tom Pidcock is someone he also has an eye on too. Pidcock said that his aim in cycling is simply 'to be the best rider in the world.'

"I assume that after a short rest period from winning the Cyclo-Cross World Championships he will try to continue to be at that level," Van Aert said of Pidcock.

The other cyclist for all seasons, Mathieu van der Poel, is returning from a back injury he picked up while riding outdoors in Spain.

Van der Poel will be keen to reassert himself after he crashed out of the Olympics in the men's cross-country event where many saw him as favourite for gold, but his rehab and recovery could mean that we'll see the best from him later in the season.

So that means that most see Van Aert as the favourite for these classic races.

Van Aert and Roglic on the Tour de France together

At Paris-Nice, Van Aert and Roglic teased a Tour de France double bid in July too. Whether Van Aert will be happy to support his Slovenian teammate and not go for glory himself remains to be seen.

Asked if this lesser-seen partnership at Paris-Nice was a trial-run for the Tour de France in summer, Roglic said:

"Definitely," he replied. "Because I always said that guys I was with here are quite a big part of who goes to the Tour.

"It's quite a big test for us, eh? In all kinds of situations, circumstances, and strategies – to try things out and see how it works. We showed some nice racing together this week."

Van Aert added: "Maybe this summer we'll try to win it in the big one in the Tour."

But before that, the Belgian powerhouse goes into the spring classics as favourite, so how does he process the pressure?

"For me, it has become normal to be one of the top favourites and if you're used to it, it automatically becomes easier to deal with," Van Aert continued in the interview with his sponsors.

"I mainly try to keep an eye on my own goals. That for me is the most important thing. There is a lot of confidence in the team, and that gives me a certain amount of serenity."

Can anyone stop Wout van Aert now with Roglic by his side?

We're about to find out.