"He is already one of the best cyclists in history" - Merijn Zeeman pays big tribute to Wout van Aert
Cycling
Merijn Zeeman has been an integral part of the success of Team Visma | Lease a Bike over recent years. As he leaves the team and the sport of cycling as a whole though, the Dutchman has paid a big tribute to one ride in particular.
The former Visma sports director is moving to Dutch football club AZ Alkmaar for a completely new challenge going forward. Before his departure though, Zeeman spoke to Team Visma | Lease a Bike's official YouTube channel about his career, and as mentioned, saved particularly warm words for one of the team's star riders, Wout van Aert.
"For me, Van Aert has everything a true leader needs," Zeeman says, clearly a big fan of the Belgian superstar. "He also leads by example and wins the biggest races there are. He does very special things on a racing bike. For me, he is already one of the best cyclists in the history of cycling."
Lofty praise indeed, but for Zeeman, his love of Van Aert is also about the person the Belgian is, as much as his undenied talent on two wheels. "For me personally, I find him really special because of the person he is. He sees perfectly how important it is to have a close bond within the team and is a man who respects values and standards enormously," he explains. "I will probably never work with a champion like him again. I have never met anyone like him in the past either."
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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Front24208-11-2026 - On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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