Introducing 15-year-old Belgian junior... Wout Van Aert: "They often remind me that I have the same name. That's a bit annoying"

Wout van Aert of Team Visma | Lease a Bike is one of the best known riders in the peloton today. A little less known however, is the 15-year-old Belgian junior also named Wout Van Aert, who's looking to forge his own career in professional cycling and move out of the shadow of his superstar namesake.

Intrigued by seeing the notable name on the startlist at some Belgian junior races, Sporza hunted down the teenage talent to find out more about the younger of the two Van Aerts. “I liked it at first,” he admits, speaking of the immediate comparisons to his namesake that arose as he embarked on a cycling career. "But when I sign up for a race, they often remind me that I have the same name as the great Wout van Aert. That's a bit annoying, but not really bad. In the meantime, they know that there is someone else racing with that name."

It's worth noting that although they share the same name, the younger of the pair of Van Aerts was not named after the former Tour de France Green Jersey winner, nor have they ever met. "And we're not distant relatives either," he adds. "My family name is written with a capital 'V', not with a smaller 'v' like professional cyclist Wout van Aert (whose grandparents are Dutch)."

As you could probably imagine though, the teenager does indeed look up to the Visma superstar. "Not only because I have the same name, but also because Wout van Aert always races to win. I therefore found it a great pity that Wout had so much bad luck last season," he explains. "I'm not a fan of Mathieu van der Poel. I'm not against Van der Poel, I'm just for Van Aert."

As mentioned, although they haven't met yet, Wout Van Aert the younger is hopeful that one day he could come face to face with his namesake. "I don't think Wout van Aert knows that there is another Wout Van Aert racing. It would be fantastic to meet my namesake and idol in real life."