History of Wout van Aert in Timeline

Wout van Aert is a highly accomplished Belgian professional cyclist, known for his prowess in both road racing and cyclo-cross. He currently rides for UCI WorldTeam Visma–Lease a Bike. Van Aert achieved significant early success in cyclo-cross, winning three consecutive men's elite titles at the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships from 2016 to 2018, establishing himself as a dominant force in the discipline.

Sections (3)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

1979: Comparison to Bernard Hinault

Wout van Aert's achievements in the 2021 Tour de France were compared to Bernard Hinault in 1979, being the first rider since Hinault to win a mountain stage, an individual time trial, and a bunch sprint in the same Tour.

September 1994: Birth of Wout van Aert

In September 1994, Wout van Aert was born.

Others born on this day/year

1997: Team Telekom's Achievement

In 1997, German riders Jan Ullrich and Erik Zabel with Team Telekom were the last team to win both jerseys before Team Jumbo–Visma equaled the record.

2016: World Champion Title

In 2016, Wout van Aert became the World Champion in cyclo-cross.

2016: UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships Win

In 2016, Wout van Aert won the first of three consecutive men's races at the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships.

2017: Victories with Vérandas Willems–Crelan

In 2017, Wout van Aert secured five victories with Vérandas Willems–Crelan.

2017: UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships Win

In 2017, Wout van Aert secured his second consecutive victory at the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships.

2017: World Champion Title

In 2017, Wout van Aert won the World Champion Title again.

September 2018: Contract Termination with Vérandas Willems–Crelan

In September 2018, Wout van Aert terminated his contract with Vérandas Willems–Crelan, expressing dissatisfaction with the team's merger plans.

December 2018: Transfer Confirmation to LottoNL–Jumbo

In December 2018, Wout van Aert's transfer to LottoNL–Jumbo was confirmed, with him joining the team from 1 March 2019.

2018: UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships Win

In 2018, Wout van Aert completed a hat trick by winning his third consecutive men's race at the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships.

2018: Third Place in Strade Bianche

In 2018, Wout van Aert finished third in the Strade Bianche race, despite falling on the final climb in Siena.

2018: Marriage to Sarah de Bie

In 2018, Wout van Aert married Sarah de Bie.

2018: Contract Termination with Vérandas Willems–Crelan

In 2018, Wout van Aert terminated his contract with Vérandas Willems–Crelan.

2018: Bronze Medal at the European Road Cycling Championships

In 2018, Wout van Aert won a bronze medal at the European Road Cycling Championships in Glasgow.

2018: World Champion Title

In 2018, Wout van Aert won the World Champion Title again.

March 2019: Joining LottoNL–Jumbo

From 1 March 2019, Wout van Aert officially joined the LottoNL–Jumbo team.

March 2019: Joining Team Jumbo–Visma

In March 2019, Wout van Aert joined Team Jumbo–Visma on a three-year deal.

2020: Consistent Performances

After consistent and strong performances in the Tirreno–Adriatico in 2020, including a victory in the last stage, he managed to win the points classification and finish second in the general classification behind 2020 Tour de France winner Tadej Pogačar.

2020: Milan–San Remo Victory

In 2020, Wout van Aert won Milan–San Remo, one of cycling's five monuments.

2020: Recovery Uncertainty

In 2020, it was unknown if Wout van Aert would recover for the cyclo-cross season or the classics at the start of the road cycling season.

2020: Originally Signed Contract Ride with LottoNL–Jumbo

Wout Van Aert had already signed a contract to ride with LottoNL-Jumbo from 2020 onwards.

2021: Birth of First Son

In 2021, Wout van Aert and Sarah de Bie had their first son.

2021: Belgian Champion Title

In 2021, Wout van Aert became Belgian champion.

2021: Fourth Place at Strade Bianche

Wout van Aert started the 2021 road season on 6 March at Strade Bianche and came in fourth place.

2022: Labelled as "One of the Most Complete Cyclists"

Following the 2022 Tour de France, several media outlets labeled Wout van Aert as "one of the most complete cyclists of his generation".

2022: Post-Tour de France Races

Following the Tour de France in 2022, Wout van Aert was outsprinted by Marco Haller in the Hamburg Cyclassics, won the Bretagne Classic Ouest-France, and finished fourth at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec.

2022: Repeat Performance in 2022 E3 Saxo Bank Classic

In 2022, Wout van Aert and Christophe Laporte repeated their performance from the 2022 E3 Saxo Bank Classic by finishing 1–2 after a 50-kilometre (31-mile) move, with Laporte taking victory on this occasion.

2022: Belgian Champion Title

In 2022, Wout van Aert became Belgian champion.

2022: Third Place in Liège–Bastogne–Liège

In 2022, Wout van Aert came third on his debut in the Ardennes monument Liège–Bastogne–Liège.

2022: UCI Road World Championships Performance

In 2022, Wout van Aert focused solely on the road race at the UCI Road World Championships, finishing fourth after setting the pace before Remco Evenepoel's solo move.

2022: Appearance in "Tour de France: Unchained"

In 2022, Wout van Aert participated in the Netflix documentary "Tour de France: Unchained" which followed riders and teams during the tour, but he expressed disagreement with his portrayal in the series.

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2022: Victory in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

In 2022, Wout van Aert started the road season with a win in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad after a solo attack.

2022: COVID-19 Positive Test and Race Missed

In 2022, Wout van Aert tested positive for COVID-19, causing him to miss the Tour of Flanders and Amstel Gold Race.

2022: E3 Saxo Bank Classic Victory

In 2022, Wout van Aert won the E3 Saxo Bank Classic in an uncontested sprint with teammate Christophe Laporte.

2022: Points Classification Win at the Tour de France

In 2022, Wout van Aert won the points classification at the Tour de France.

2022: Victory in the Time Trial at Paris–Nice

In 2022, Wout van Aert won the time trial in Paris–Nice and also secured the points classification.

2022: Second Place in Paris–Roubaix

In 2022, after returning from COVID-19, Wout van Aert finished second in Paris–Roubaix.

2023: Silver Medal at the UCI Road Race World Championships

In 2023, Wout van Aert claimed a silver medal at the UCI Road race World Championships in Glasgow, losing out to Mathieu van der Poel.

2023: Fifth Place in the Time Trial

In 2023, Wout van Aert finished 5th in the time trial at UCI Road race World Championships.

2023: Spring Classics Performance

In 2023, Wout van Aert had several podium finishes in UCI World Tour races, including third at Milan–San Remo, first at E3 Saxo Classic, and third at Paris-Roubaix.

2023: Withdrawal from Tour de France and Birth of Second Son

In 2023, Wout van Aert withdrew from the Tour de France before stage 18 to return home for the birth of his second child, Jerome, who was born shortly after.

September 2024: Re-signing with Visma–Lease a Bike

In September 2024, it was announced that Wout van Aert had re-signed with Visma–Lease a Bike until the end of his career.

2024: Vuelta a España Stage Wins and Abandonment

In 2024, at the Vuelta a España, Wout van Aert won stages 3 and 7, and 10, took the polka-dot jersey after stage 13, but abandoned the race during stage 16 due to a crash and severe knee pain.