Van der Poel and Van Aert both broke the Internet in very different ways
The off-season may have begun, but two of the best riders in the world still have cycling fans transfixed
Although racing is over, Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert are still the talk of cycling Twitter. Van Aert’s season ended early after leading the Vuelta a España’s mountains and points competition. After fighting to regain fitness after a crash in the spring, which included riding to form in the Tour, the Belgian was flying in Spain. But another crash spelled the end for his season. After some time off the bike, Van Aert is back riding. But he’s been busy doing some stuff…off the bike, as well, it seems.
Song 2, à la Wout van Aert
On the Belgian version of The Masked Singer, where celebrities perform in disguise, Van Aert delivered a strong rendition of Blur’s “Song 2.” Though most contestants perform multiple times, his racing commitments limited his appearances.
“I was looking forward to it, but I was a bit scared,” the Visma – Lease a Bike rider said. He was surprised by his costume, adding, “I expected a cute teddy bear, not a latex suit.” Asked why he joined, Van Aert explained he was invited, and the timing worked with his schedule. “It felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” he said.
You can watch it here before we go on to see what his rival Van der Poel was up to.
Just Wout van Aert dressed as a singing squirrel on the Masked Singer
MvdP fought the car, and the…bike won
Van der Poel capped off his season with a big win at the gravel worlds, taking another rainbow jersey. A week earlier, he fought hard to take a well-deserved bronze at the road worlds behind Tadej Pogačar.
Van der Poel, known for his love of cars, took on another challenge at the La Nucia cycling criterium in Spain on Saturday, where he raced—and beat—a car. Van der Poel, a Lamborghini fan, went head-to-head with multiple world rally champion Sébastien Loeb, alongside other pros like 44-year-old Alejandro Valverde. Highlights of the showdown were shared by former pro Erik Dekker, capturing Van der Poel’s impressive win.
Check out his ride below.