Former Visma rider Nathan Van Hooydonck announces birth of daughter Isabella

Some heart-warming news to start the day, Nathan Van Hooydonck and his wife Alicia have welcomed a baby girl into the world. The couple have named her Isabella.

It's a moment of immense joy for the Van Hooydonck family, and a touching milestone following a challenging past 18 months. The 29-year-old former Jumbo-Visma rider was forced to retire from professional cycling in 2023 after suffering a medical emergency behind the wheel.

On 12 September 2023, Van Hooydonck suffered a cardiac episode while behind the wheel, leading to a traffic accident. His pregnant wife Alicia was also in the car but, thankfully, was not injured.

Following the incident, Van Hooydonck was diagnosed with an irregularity of the cardiac wall and had an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) fitted to prevent potentially life-threatening arrhythmia. The diagnosis brought an early end to his promising career in the peloton.

That same day, Jonas Vingegaard won a stage of the Vuelta a Espana and dedicated the emotional victory to his teammate. Van Hooydonck had been a key part of Team Visma | Lease a Bike’s Tour de France triumphs in both 2022 and 2023, playing a crucial support role in Vingegaard’s back-to-back yellow jersey wins.

Since retiring, Van Hooydonck has remained close to the sport. He continues to work with Team Visma | Lease a Bike and has also begun a new role as a pundit with TNT Sports.

Now, with the arrival of baby Isabella, a new and joyful chapter begins for Nathan and Alicia. Congratulations to the entire Van Hooydonck family.