A very Belgian Paris-Roubaix
With Paris-Roubaix, Wout van Aert has won the second cycling monument of his career, and with a third place for Jasper Stuyven, the podium turned very Belgian indeed.
He had dreamed of it ever since his first participation in Paris-Roubaix. Crushing world champion Tadej Pogacar in a sprint, van Aert pointed his finger to the sky and made good on a years-long promise. Tragedy had struck in 2018 when one of his teammates passed away after a bad crash in the race. Wout vowed that he would come back and win, and after six tries he finally did it, flooded with emotion after his victory.
Paris-Roubaix is one of five cycling monuments – the oldest, longest, most prestigious races in the sport, separating the good from the great. This one is known as the Hell of the North, with stretches of treacherous cobblestones where your luck can turn with every pedal stroke.
Compatriots watched in awe as Wout and the world champion rolled into the Roubaix velodrome and van Aert was perfectly positioned to seal the deal, leaping over Tadej at the right moment. A sprint for third place then saw fellow Belgian Jasper Stuyven beat the competition by a long shot.
Let it be noted that van Aert celebrated in the most Belgian way possible: with a hearty portion of fries.
Congratulations to Wout and Jasper, and may van Aerts former teammate Michael Goolaerts never be forgotten.