"This makes all the sacrifices worth it": Van Aert's family celebrates a long-awaited Monument victory

Behind every massive success in professional cycling, there is usually a family that has sacrificed a lot to make it happen. This was incredibly clear on Sunday afternoon when Wout van Aert finally conquered the cobblestones of Paris-Roubaix. His wife, Sarah de Bie, was there to celebrate the historic moment, even if the legendary chaos of the race made her travel plans incredibly difficult at the very last minute.

The area around the outdoor velodrome in Roubaix is always packed with thousands of screaming fans, large team buses, and heavy traffic. Navigating this mess is a complete nightmare on race day. Sarah de Bie experienced this frustrating reality firsthand this weekend. While her husband was battling Tadej Pogacar on the track for the victory, she was stuck outside trying to get through the massive crowds with their two young sons, Georges and Jerome.

Because of the crazy logistical issues and the massive crowds of fans, the family actually missed seeing the exact moment the Belgian star crossed the finish line to win his second Monument.

“It was chaotic,” she explained in quotes gathered by WielerFlits shortly after the race. “That is always the case in Roubaix, but we were now just too late at the finish. Because of that, I experienced the stress level of the race less to be here. We couldn't get through anywhere. I ignored it and kept going. The rest of the family and Georges and Jerome didn't see the finish, but came here as quickly as possible. Wout always likes it when we are at the finish.”

De Bie also noted how happy the entire Visma | Lease a Bike staff was for him, showing just how much respect he has earned within the sport and inside his own team.

“This makes all the sacrifices worth it,” De Bie stated with clear emotion. “You see that all the sports directors and colleagues really wish this for Wout. It was sometimes difficult to get the positive feelings back at home, but the kids help with that.”

After so many years of narrowly missing out on the biggest prize in one-day racing, crossing the finish line first acts like a massive reset button for a rider's career. All the negative thoughts and frustrations from the past are instantly wiped away. De Bie openly admitted that her husband had faced some very dark mental moments during his previous sporting setbacks, but this single victory makes all of that disappear completely.

Now, the family can finally focus on relaxing and celebrating this massive achievement together. And for a young Belgian family, the perfect post-race celebration plan is very simple and traditional.

“He has been down deep sometimes, but we have forgotten that now,” she concluded with a big smile. “It is very nice that it finally works out. They just asked Georges how he wants to celebrate daddy's victory, and he responded: fries. So I will say that we are going to do that too.”