VIDEO | "Let’s celebrate and don’t take this for granted" - Wout van Aert & Visma teammates crack open the champagne after Vuelta a Espana stage win
Cycling
For the first time in six months, Wout van Aert was able to taste the joy of victory on stage 3 of the 2024 Vuelta a Espana. Afterwards, with his Team Visma | Lease a Bike teammates, the Belgian cracked open the champagne to celebrate properly.
"Today was a special day for me," the 29-year-old addresses the room after popping open a bottle of champagne, pouring a number of glasses and handing them out to his teammates and the Team Visma | Lease a Bike staff members. "But also a special day for all of us. We came here to win a stage and we already succeeded in stage three. A good start to the race."
As mentioned, this was Van Aert's first win in six months since his success at Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne in February. In the time between wins, it has been far from an easy ride. A nasty crash at Dwars door Vlaanderen ending his spring and ruined plans for a Giro d'Italia debut. Although he was back in time for the Tour de France, no stage wins came and then at the Olympic Games, a bronze in the time trial ensured it wasn't a completely wasted trip to the French capital.
"Not only me, but the whole team had a year with a lot of setbacks," Van Aert continues. "Despite the fact that I sometimes didn't believe in it anymore, I felt that there was a team behind me that continued to believe in me. You have given with confidence and enormous support. So yes, more than ever this is a victory for all of you. Let's celebrate it and don't take this for granted."
See the video of Van Aert and the whole of Team Visma | Lease a Bike's team at the 2024 Vuelta a Espana celebrating the Belgian star's stage 3 success in the video down below!
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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🇪🇸 #LaVuelta24 "Let’s celebrate and don’t take this for granted" ❤️
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