Wout van Aert dedicates Paris-Roubaix win to deceased teammate: 'This win is for him and his family'

Wout van Aert delivered the ultimate redemption on Sunday by winning Paris-Roubaix 2026. The Belgian from Visma | Lease a Bike beat Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) in a two-up sprint and could barely contain his emotions afterwards. A visibly moved Van Aert gave his account in the winner's flash interview.

"Erm…" Van Aert began, facing interviewer Seb Piquet, before delivering a powerful story.

"This means everything to me. It's been a goal since 2018, the first year I rode this race. In that race I lost my teammate Michael Goolaerts, and since that day it's been my goal to come back and point my finger to the sky."

And that is exactly what he did — finger pointed skyward. "This win is for Michael, but also for his family, the staff and everyone at Veranda's Willems, my former team. That was such an incredibly hard day, and since then I've had a lot of bad luck in this race, but I never stopped believing. Now the reward is here."

"I've stopped believing many times, but every time I woke up the next day with the feeling that it was possible. The fact that I'm now riding onto the velodrome with the world champion gives me enormous satisfaction. He made it incredibly hard for me, and the fact that I managed it mano a mano feels very special."

Van Aert launched his sprint from distance. "I stuck to my plan — one I've played out so many times in my dreams and in my preparation. The hardest part was reaching the velodrome, because I was on my limit so many times sitting in his wheel. But it was all worth it."

And so he has it. "The most beautiful one," as he told team boss Richard Plugge. "This is Paris-Roubaix — a chaotic race where everyone has their own story. That's what makes it so beautiful, and when luck is on your side, it feels so good."