"Now it is starting to hurt" - Wout van Aert heartbroken by another near miss, Paris-Roubaix puncture takes him out of contention
Cycling
Wout van Aert is no stranger to bad luck, or badly timed mechanicals. He suffered several during Paris-Roubaix, but none as painful as the one during Carrefour de l'Arbre, where he attacked towards a possible victory, and then saw his chances painfully fade in seconds.
“I've already had several punctures, but at this point in the race it's sour. For the time being, 'De Hel' will remain cursed for me. I think I lose 20 or 25 seconds with that wheel change. You can't make up for that on Mathieu in top form," van Aert told Sporza. Jumbo-Visma were victims of several punctures throughout the day. Van Aert himself opened the offensive before Arenberg, but soon after the team began to suffer.
Christophe Laporte was in the small group who attacked at the time, but punctured in those cobbles leaving van Aert isolated in a group that contained three Alpecin riders. He responded to the attacks of van der Poel throughout the afternoon and saved his bullets for Carrefour de l'Arbre. The race was turned upside down for many in that final five-start sector, as John Degenkolb crashed.
Van Aert attacked soon after and got a gap, but was brought back by Mathieu van der Poel. He began losing the wheels afterwards and it became evident that something was not right. Right after the sector he stopped and had to replace a punctured tyre, which cost him the chances of finally taking the victory he hoped for this spring. “I was able to bite the pain today and it didn't bother me too much during the race. Now it is starting to hurt”, he admits.
“But I was good and I am happy to end the spring with a good performance," he continues. Van Aert was clearly on a great day. He jumped back on the bike to joint the survivors of the chasing group, and attacked away from everyone but Jasper Philipsen. As van der Poel's teammate sprinted to second, van Aert closed the podium. An impressive performance, but one that did not bring the result he had hoped for.
“I am proud of what I have achieved this spring. I put down a nice series, but the big win was not forthcoming. But life is not all victories. I have shown what I have in my march. I hope the fans have been able to enjoy that," he concluded.
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A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
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Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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- Yes, so why not make comments less pointless?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- What a race! I didn't expect Vanthourenhout to collapse like that, and Wyseure did take the fight to Nys, but there was no doubt at the end. I also wonder what Aubin Sparfel would be capable of were he to race in the elites now. In the U23 ranks he is making good work of Giel Lejeune, who himself is among the better riders in the elites, and a top 10 contender in the big races (3rd at Kleebergcross, 8th at Berencross and 5th at Heerderstrand). In the French Cup, Sparfel is significantly better than Romain Debord (8th at Koppenbergcross and 10th at the Euros) and Rémi Lelandais (12th at Koppenbergcross and 19th at the Euros).
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - There really was nothing in it. Schreiber was so much faster, and Brand was fighting to stay in the wheel in the sprint. Schreiber did move a bit, but to say she closed the door doesn't make sense because Brand couldn't enter it anyway, abd she wasn't impeded.Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026
- He should have been allowed to go to Movistar. Right now both arent a good fit for each other and are just wasting each other's time and effortabstractengineer08-11-2026
- Thibau Nys does exactly what Iserbyt is calling forRafionain-Glas08-11-2026
- i did not see it. was the relegation justified or an overly hard decision? and don‘t cross riders deviate from straight lines all the time? bumping into each others when they cut corners, etc … why being more strict with the rules on the finish sprint?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- seems like we are advertising the website with pointless comments…Ketterechts08-11-2026
- So?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- The UCI do have their favorites.
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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🇫🇷 #ParisRoubaix The biggest prize you can win. 👶🏼💙 Georges is proud of you, and so are we. 💯
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