The fact van Aert is so open about his grief is commendable. The
Jumbo-Visma star reveals he still thinks about Goolaerts often. "By not talking about certain things, I think the problem is not there or at least it is circumvented," says van Aert. "However, I realize that I am doing Michael's family a disservice by not talking about it."
Runner-up last year on the French cobbles, van Aert is yet to taste success at Paris-Roubaix, something he is keen to change. "I find it especially frustrating that after that first Roubaix I thought: 'I'm going to use what happened to Michael as extra motivation to win here one day and it won't take long," he says. "Well, the following year I crashed three times, then it was postponed by Covid... I've never passed through the Bos van Wallers without a material breakdown. For now, that course is cursed for me. It hasn't lasted a single edition, so I haven't been able to show the tribute to Michael that has been in my head for a long time. That eats away at me somehow."