Rider Profile
Wout van Aert
Visma-Lease a Bike
Personal Details:
Teams history:
- 2024 - Visma-Lease a Bike
- 2023 - Team Jumbo-Visma
- 2022 - Team Jumbo-Visma
- 2021 - Team Jumbo–Visma
- 2020 - Team Jumbo-Visma
- 2019 - Team Jumbo-Visma
- 2018 - Veranda's Willems Crelan
- 2017 - Veranda's Willems Crelan
- 2016 - Crelan-Vastgoedservice Continental Team
Biography:
Tour de France multiple stage winner and Classics champion Wout van Aert, born 15 September 1994 in Herentals, Belgium turned professional in 2013 with the Belgian Continental team Telenet-Fidea. He started his career in cyclocross, winning the World Championships in that speciality three times, in 2016, 2017 and 2018, as well as claiming his first professional road win, the prologue of the Tour of Belgium, in 2016.
After a controversial separation from the Vérandas Willems-Crelan team, Van Aert joined his current team, Jumbo-Visma, in March 2019. He quickly snapped up two stages of the Criterium du Dauphiné. This was followed by his first stage of his debut Tour de France that summer, in a bunch sprint, but he then abandoned, injured.
Established as a hugely versatile rider, Van Aert’s breakthrough season came in 2020 when his wins included the Milan-Sanremo Classic, Strade Bianche, two bunch sprint stages of the Tour de France and the Belgian National Time Trial title. Runner’s up spots in the Tour of Flanders and both the World Championships elite men’s Road Race and Time Trial events rounded off a stellar season.
Van Aert continued to display his all-round talents to devastating effect in 2021. He took wins in the Gent-Wevelgem and Amstel Gold Race Classics, stage victories in the Tour de France over the Mont Ventoux, in the final time trial and on the Champs Elysées 24 hours later.
In 2022, Van Aert once again acted as key support on the climbs for Jonas Vingegaard in the Tour de France as his Danish teammate followed up his 2021 second place with the overall victory 12 months later. Simultaneously, Van Aert claimed three stage wins for himself, including the final time trial as well as the green points jersey.
The 2023 season saw Van Aert put his focus on cyclocross in the off-season and he claimed nine victories but could not beat Mathieu van der Poel at the world championships. He finished on the podium of Milan-San Remo, Gent-Wevelgem and Paris-Roubaix and won the E3 Saxo Classic. He dropped out of the Tour de France on stage 18 and went on to finish second behind Van der Poel at the Road World Championships.
Key Results
1st points classification of 2022 Tour de France
1st E3 SaxoBank Classic (2022, 2023)
1st Omloop Het Nieuwsblad (2022)
1st Amstel Gold (2021)
1st Gent-Wevelgem (2021)
Winner of 2020 Milan-Sanremo
Winner of stage 10 of 2019 Tour de France; stages 5 and 7 of 2020 Tour de France; stages 11, 20 and 21 of 2021 Tour France; stages 4, 8 and 20 of 2022 Tour de France
Winner of 2020 Strade Bianche
Winner of 2016, 2017, 2018 Cyclo-cross World Championships
Related Articles
Dwars door Vlaanderen crash update – Surgery for Van Aert, Stuyven and Kirsch
By Simone Giuliani published
News Crash impacts riders and teams ahead of Sunday's Tour of Flanders
‘A beautiful sport with a dark edge’ – Wout van Aert suffers the cruellest blow
By Barry Ryan published
In-depth Belgian's ill-fated relationship with Ronde and Roubaix continues after crash ends his Classics campaign
'Wout hit my rear wheel' – Tiesj Benoot blames himself as crash ends Van Aert's Flanders dream
By Barry Ryan published
News Visma-Lease A Bike's Dwars door Vlaanderen victory overshadowed by loss of Classics leader
Wout van Aert fractures collarbone and ribs in high-speed Dwars door Vlaanderen crash
By Barry Ryan published
News Visma-Lease a Bike leader to miss all remaining Classics, Stuyven, Kirsch. Girmay and Pedersen also injured in pile-up
Wout van Aert tweaks build-up in bid to change Tour of Flanders narrative – Analysis
By Barry Ryan published
Analysis Belgian returns to Dwars door Vlaanderen for first time since his 2018 Ronde debut
Wout van Aert licks his wounds but sees Mathieu van der Poel could be beatable at Tour of Flanders
By Stephen Farrand published
News Laporte to miss Tour of Flanders as Visma-Lease a Bike’s Classics ambitions hit by crashes and illness
Cancellara's Classics column: Don't overlook the mental aspect of the Van der Poel-Van Aert duel
By Fabian Cancellara published
Analysis Peerless Van der Poel triumphs over under-pressure Van Aert, though history shows nobody is unbeatable at Flanders and Roubaix
'It was a stupid mistake' – Crash proves costly for Wout van Aert at E3 Harelbeke
By Barry Ryan published
News Paterberg fall changes race as Belgian takes third behind Mathieu van der Poel
Blogs
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Nathan Haas calls gravel course 'raw, fast, exciting' after pre-ride with co-founder Valtteri Bottas -
UCI Gravel Worlds - new course, same criticisms cast doubt on event
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Nathan Haas blog: We need to talk about the Unbound mud pit
Was it wrong to not re-route the course? -
Ellen van Dijk - Leading by example
'I have the chance to show the world how normal it should be to perform at a top level as a mother' -
Rukhsar Habibzai - The day I left home
'It is a story shared by thousands of Afghans. It is the day we left home, left our souls and left Afghanistan'