"He is already one of the best cyclists in history" - Merijn Zeeman pays big tribute to Wout van Aert

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.

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"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."

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