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Wout Van AertBelgian professional road cyclist
Date of Birth: 15.09.1994
Country:  Belgium |
Content:
- Early Life and Cyclo-cross Career
- Road Racing Debut and Transfer Controversy
- Arrival at Team Jumbo-Visma
- Breakthrough Season: 2020
- Continued Dominance: 2021
- Historic Tour de France Performance
- Olympic Silver and Recent Success
Early Life and Cyclo-cross Career
Born in Herentals, Flanders, to a non-cycling family, Wout Van Aert became interested in cycling through his father's cousin, former Dutch professional cyclist Jos van Aert. Van Aert began his career in cyclo-cross, where he emerged as a dominant force, winning the UCI World Cyclo-cross Championships in 2016, 2017, and 2018. He also won four consecutive Belgian Cyclo-cross Championships from 2016 to 2019.
Road Racing Debut and Transfer Controversy
In 2018, Van Aert made his debut in road racing for the Vérandas Willems-Crelan team. He achieved notable success in the Strade Bianche, where he finished third despite crashing in the final kilometer. However, he became frustrated with the team's planned merger with Roompot-Nederlandse Loterij in 2019. Having already signed a contract to join Team Jumbo-Visma in 2020, Van Aert terminated his contract with Vérandas Willems-Crelan in September 2018.
Arrival at Team Jumbo-Visma
In March 2019, Van Aert officially joined Team Jumbo-Visma. His debut season was marked by a series of impressive performances, including wins at the Critérium du Dauphiné, the Belgian National Time Trial Championship, and a bronze medal in the road race at the Belgian National Championships. Van Aert made history at the Tour de France by winning Stage 10 in the first Grand Tour of his career. However, he crashed during the time trial in Stage 13 and was forced to abandon the race due to injuries.
Breakthrough Season: 2020
In 2020, Van Aert emerged as one of the best riders in the world. He won the postponed Strade Bianche and became the first non-Italian to win Milan-San Remo in over 100 years. In the Tour de France, he claimed two stage victories and a pair of third-place finishes. He also took silver medals in both the individual time trial and road race at the UCI Road World Championships in Imola.
Continued Dominance: 2021
In 2021, Van Aert continued to impress, winning the sprint on the opening stage of the Strade Bianche and finishing fourth overall. He then won Tirreno-Adriatico, claiming two stage victories and the points classification. He added another solo victory at Gent-Wevelgem and triumphed in the Amstel Gold Race after a thrilling sprint finish.
Historic Tour de France Performance
At the 2021 Tour de France, Van Aert made history by winning three stages, including a mountain stage, a time trial, and the final sprint on the Champs-Élysées. He became the first rider since Bernard Hinault in 1979 to win a mountain stage, a time trial, and a bunch sprint in the same Tour de France.
Olympic Silver and Recent Success
In the Olympic road race, Van Aert finished second to Richard Carapaz but won the sprint in the pursuit group to claim the silver medal. Since then, he has continued to be one of the most consistent and versatile riders in the peloton, winning stages at the Tour de Suisse, Tour de France, and Vuelta a España, as well as the overall title at the 2022 Gent-Wevelgem race.
