Wout van Aert: "Now that I have two sons, being away from home so much is my biggest sacrifice"

Being a professional cyclist is physically a brutal job, but psychologically it's not easier in any way. Wout van Aert, a family man, talks about how difficult it is to have to spend most of the year away from home due to races, recons, training camps and travelling that ultimately keep him away from his family for many months a year.

"I often eat a rice cake or fruit cake on the bus before the race. That is always made by our soigneurs and tastes really good," van Aert jokes in the Huyts & Vlaeminck podcast. He talked about several topics, including what he eats before races, and being in the Team Visma | Lease a Bike camp is certainly different from training by himself.

However training by himself or racing close to home also has it's advantages: "I love just getting in the car after a race and driving home. I prefer to drive alone, and I like to sit in the car for an hour. I often put on music, but if I've driven a classic, for example, I like to drive without music. Then I can think about everything and really come home in peace".

Van Aert is a rider that throughout the year has plenty goals, whether for himself or for the team. He started his cyclocross season on the 27th December, in the middle had a long team training camp leading up to the World Championships on the 2nd. of February. A few days of rest and then preparation for the Clásica Jaen Paraiso Interior, Volta ao Algarve; and then the Opening Weekend. Currently, the Belgian is at Mount Teide in an altitude camp until the final block of the cobbled classics.

After Paris-Roubaix he will likely take some days of rest and then another training camp ahead of the Giro d'Italia. Between the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France his schedule is not public, but it should include another training camp. All-in-all it's easy to see how little time he actually gets to spend at home throughout the year - in the fall his schedule won't be so demanding but he will naturally continue to race, and in the winter his participation in cyclocross brings further schedule demands.

That is not easy for the Belgian, father of two. "Now that I'm a dad, I miss being home enormously. In the past, I already found it hard to be away for a long time, but now that I have two sons, being away from home so much is my biggest sacrifice".

He also shared a small detail about his routine during competition and training camps. "It's unusual in cycling, but I prefer to sleep alone in a room. If I do have a roommate, Tiesj [Benoot] is my favorite. We know each other inside and out and also have the same rhythm. That makes it very pleasant to share a room".