On Saturday, Wout van Aert (Visma – Lease a Bike) raced in what was supposed to be his last ‘cross race, the UCI CX World Cup in Maasmechelen, Belgium. He had a decent result—finishing second behind Mathieu van der Poel—but had a bunch of crashes.
After the race, he had a special visitor—Wout Van Aert. Back in October, Sporza discovered a 15-year-old cyclist from Antwerp who had the same name as the Belgian superstar.
Interestingly, he wasn’t named after one of the best cyclists in the world. Fifteen years ago, Wout van Aert wasn’t a household name. “We’re not even distant relatives,” he said. “My last name is spelled with a capital ‘V’, not a small ‘v’ like the pro rider Wout van Aert, whose grandparents are Dutch.”
Belgians usually capitalize the V, whereas the Dutch don’t—think Mathieu van der Poel or Boy van Poppel.
Speaking of MvdP, Wout Van Aert (junior) is not a fan. “I’m not a fan of Mathieu van der Poel,” he said. “I’m not against Van der Poel, but I’m just for Van Aert.” As van Aert senior says, how could you support anyone else with a name like that?
Having the same name as one of the biggest names in Belgian sport isn’t always as great as it sounds, he said.
“In the beginning, I thought it was pretty fun,” the teenager said. “But when I sign up for a race, they often remind me that I have the same name as the big Wout Van Aert. It’s a bit annoying, but not a huge deal. By now, they know there’s another rider with the same name.”
The younger Van Aert was happy to meet the older one, but wasted no time in asking him about his crash-filled day at the office. “How did you fall, Wout?”
Van Aert had addressed his major fall—which happened when he briefly took the lead, overtaking Mathieu van der Poel. “I don’t think I was quite in my pedals yet. There was a deep track down the road, so I went over my handlebars… Ignorance,” he said.
The younger Van Aert is also a keen cyclist— I mean, how could you not be with a name like that? He will be doing his first bike race on March 1. Unfortunately, the older Van Aert won’t be able to make it to watch.
“Darn, then I can’t come and watch. Then I also have a very important race,” Van Aert said. He will be busy going for the win at the Omloop Nieuwsblad. “But I will certainly keep an eye on your results. Just remember, at this age, you have to have fun. Go train…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Canadian Cycling Magazine…