Vuelta rookie Tulett still looks up to van Aert: "Mathieu was a role model, but Wout was truly my idol"

Cycling
Tuesday, 05 August 2025 at 07:52
ben-tulett
Ben Tulett is an exceptional talent who has been around for years, but he never really got his chance at INEOS Grenadiers. His first year at Visma | Lease a Bike was also difficult, but now the 23-year-old Brit is showing his true colors with the Dutch team. It earned him a spot in the selection for the Vuelta a España. He will not be starting alongside teammate and idol, Wout van Aert.
The 30-year-old Van Aert was Tulett's biggest inspiration when he was a young talent making his way up from the lower echelons of cycling. “We've talked about that together and had a good laugh about it,” Tulett told Wielerrevue. He still considers it a huge privilege to be a teammate of the Belgian superstar.
“I'm still a bit humble when I talk to Wout, but in a good way,” he laughs. "I really enjoy training and racing with him because he's still a role model for me. He's such a great team player. Very inspiring. In the Clásica Jaen, he sacrificed himself for me. That showed once again how committed he is to being a good teammate.“
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wout van aert
Van Aert worked hard for Tulett in the Clasica Jaén.

Van Aert and van der Poel as role models: "But Wout was really an idol"

In the Spanish one-day race, Tulett finished ninth, thanks to Van Aert's work. It was a bit of a strange feeling. "But that didn't cross my mind at the time. You just want to do the best you can in the race, and you don't think about much else other than executing the race plan as well as possible. But of course I was aware that a great champion was trying to help me."
Tulett became world champion in cyclo-cross in the U23 category in 2019, which explains why he looked to cyclo-cross riders as his role models. “Besides Wout, Mathieu van der Poel was also an inspiration to me, but Wout was really my idol. Although it's great to be able to say that I've been teammates with both of them,” said the 23-year-old Brit, who took his first steps in professional cycling in 2020 and 2021 with Alpecin-Fenix, alongside Van der Poel.
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ben tulett
Tulett won the Settimana Coppi e Bartali earlier this year.

Tulett to the Vuelta: "Biggest goal of the season"

Tulett has now found his place at Visma | Lease a Bike, but only after a difficult 2024, in which he competed in only 25 races. Normally, he would have started in the Vuelta a España, but that plan didn't work out. It was a year full of learning moments, though. “The results may not have been there, and I missed the Vuelta a España last year, but I learned from every disappointment,” said Tulett, who extended his contract with Visma | Lease a Bike this year.
“It was also fuel for the fire for me last winter. The disappointments of last year have made me a better rider and a better person,” said the Brit, who is preparing for the Vuelta in France. “After a three-week altitude training camp in Tignes, I'll head to the Tour de l'Ain, after which I'll return to altitude training. I'm looking forward to the Vuelta, because it's my biggest goal of the season.”
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