"I couldn’t even watch anymore" - Wout van Aert’s former teammate talks about the emotions he experienced in Roubaix
Cycling
Wout van Aert finally ticked off one of the biggest goals of his career on Sunday, winning Paris-Roubaix after years of bad luck and near-misses on the cobbles.
Among those watching from the Roubaix velodrome was Nathan Van Hooydonck, a former teammate and one of his most loyal domestiques. Forced to retire at the end of 2023 due to heart problems, the Belgian followed the finale with visible tension before celebrating a victory that carried special meaning.
“This definitely means a lot to me. If something like this doesn’t mean a lot to you, then you’re probably in the wrong job,” said the Belgian to wielerflits, who now works in the commercial department of Team Visma | Lease a Bike. “I think this is fantastic, truly unbelievable.”
Van Hooydonck’s career was closely tied to Van Aert’s rise, often riding in support roles in the biggest races on the calendar. Seeing his former leader win on cycling’s toughest stage clearly struck a chord.
“I owe a lot to Wout myself. My career grew because I was able to race with him. This is what I always wanted to achieve, to win a Monument together, as a team. I had never managed that before, but now that everything is finally coming together, that everything is falling into place, it’s almost impossible to describe.”
As the race built towards its conclusion, the tension in Roubaix became almost unbearable. Van Hooydonck admitted he could barely watch as Van Aert battled for victory.
“I was incredibly nervous during the finale. I was already very tense in Dwars door Vlaanderen, when he was out front alone for such a long time. I imagined that same scenario playing out in Paris-Roubaix. In the end, I couldn’t even watch anymore."
"I was standing in the velodrome with my hands in front of my eyes. I was going by the sound. When I finally looked, I saw he had about five metres on Pogacar. That’s when I knew, he wasn’t going to let it slip."
Up against world champion Tadej Pogacar, the way Van Aert finished the job left no doubts, according to his former teammate.
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“The way he finished it, against world champion Pogacar, shows what a great champion Van Aert is. A lot of people doubted him, but I’m very happy that today he has made his career even more complete.”
Whether this victory represents a form of redemption is open to debate, but for Van Hooydonck it adds another layer to an already outstanding career.
“Is this a kind of redemption? Maybe, but I wouldn’t quite call it that. He has already had a wonderful career. This will take some pressure off him for next year, but that doesn’t mean he’ll be any less hungry at the start.”
Carlos Silva is a writer for CyclingUpToDate.com, where he contributes race reports, interviews, analysis pieces, and live coverage of the international cycling calendar. Holding a degree in Sports from the Jean Piaget Institute, he combines academic knowledge of performance, training, and competition with hands-on journalism experience in professional cycling.
Throughout his career, Carlos has conducted interviews with leading figures in the sport, including Alberto Contador, Joaquim Rodríguez, Óscar Pereiro, João Almeida, Isaac del Toro, Derek Gee, John Degenkolb and Geraint Thomas. These conversations reflect direct engagement with Grand Tour winners, Classics specialists, and emerging talents.
He has provided on-site coverage at major events ranging from the Vuelta a España to the Tour de France, alongside stage races such as Vuelta a Andalucía, Volta ao Algarve, Volta a Portugal and O Gran Camiño. Covering the mythical climbs of the Giro d'Italia remains one of his professional ambitions.
Carlos is responsible for liveblog coverage of all major WorldTour races and beyond, including the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España. His reporting integrates verified data from ProCyclingStats to ensure statistical accuracy, contextual depth, and analytical precision.
A lifelong cycling enthusiast, he approaches storytelling across written, photographic, and video formats with a focus on credibility, tactical insight, and informed race interpretation.
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- I get the point totally. We live in the snowflake society where some riders forget they are getting paid to ride and get results. When they have a few issues they try to look outside of the real issue instead of themselves. It odd so many of the team are making no complaints and getting on with their job. If you do not like what you do find another job simples. Tough love as my mum would say.paultryan200207-11-2026
- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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