Discover an extract from our new special issue L’absolu

He is the prototype of the ultimate runner. If he is a little older than his compatriot Remco Evenepoel (recent world champion) or the Slovenian Tadej Pogacar (double winner of the Tour), Wout van Aert is the spearhead of a new wave which is shattering the codes that modern cycling had imposed on itself since the beginning of the 90s. For thirty years, the convicts of the road have become ultra-specialized: from climbers to sprinters, including punchers, fans of time trials or cobbled classics. Wout van Aert is all of this at the same time. A physical monster of 79 meters and 2021 kg, capable of winning a stage in a single Tour de France with two ascents of Mont Ventoux, an individual time trial and the Champs-Élysées sprint. , as was the case in XNUMX.

This three-time cyclo-cross world champion is the cousin of a former Dutch cyclist, Jos van Aert, a professional from 1988 to 1994 who did not reach the same heights as his younger brother. The eldest still participated in the Tour de France four times from 1989 to 1992, without ever experiencing the joys of a stage victory (87^e of the general classification in 1992 as the best final result). Wout is born in cycling land, in Herentals, Belgium. This city of 28 souls where on the main square has stood since 000 the statue of a true Belgian cycling legend, Rik van Looy. Nicknamed “The Emperor of Herentals”, the latter has an enormous track record in which there are no less than 7 stages of the Tour de France, 12 of the Tour of Italy, 18 of the Tour of Spain, and 8 successes in the biggest one-day races (Milan-San Remo 1958, Tour of Flanders 1959 and 1962, Paris-Roubaix 1961 , 1962 and 1965, Liège-Bastogne-Liège 1961, Tour of Lombardy 1959).

Van Looy is thus part of the very closed circle of winners of the 5 Monuments with Eddy Merckx and Roger de Vlaeminck. His word is as rare as it is precious, so when he takes the time to praise his young compatriot in the columns of The Team a few days after his exploit at Ventoux, we read him religiously. “I watched the stage on television at home, he admits. I thought his race was really great. He achieved an exceptional feat, right? He's a great runner and I know that with him, many exploits of this kind are still possible (…) It's such a pleasure to see a runner like him win in this way, go off alone and win without giving anything, until the end (…)” Strong words for those who consider it a living myth...

Find this article in full in L'absolu, our new magazine dedicated to high human and technical performance, released on 02/12/2022 and available to order on our online store in versions PRESENCE et paper.

L'ABSOLU, THE NEW AUTOHEBDO SPECIAL EDITION ON STANDS