Wout van Aert returns to racing with photo finish victory ahead of Jasper Philipsen at post Tour de France criterium
Cycling
Wout van Aert is having a wonderful few weeks. After helping Jonas Vingegaard to claim the Maillot Jaune at the Tour de France, the Belgian welcomed a baby boy, Jerome into his growing family. Now, van Aert has returned to racing in Herentals on Thursday evening, taking a narrow victory.
“I live on a pink cloud towards the World Championship,” said a delighted van Aert post-race. “There was not much rest in the past few days. With the World Championship just around the corner, I have to keep training. I am still fully on schedule.”
In a thrilling sprint finish, van Aert edged out fellow Belgian Jasper Philipsen for the victory in Herentals. “It is always nice to ride in your own environment. The organizers have again gathered a nice field of participants," he analyses. "The weather was bad so everyone used their wits and didn't take too many risks. Logical, with it also at the World Championship.”
“My legs could be a little better, but I'm fine. I came out of the Tour well. Next week I will rest a lot and prepare for the World Championship," he concludes. "Whoever comes out of the Tour has to stay focused and get fresh. You can't straighten much more in these weeks. The condition is what it is and it is very good.”
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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- So far, a good series about riders before my time, even if the text feels AI generated like so much on this site. About the rider, he seems like one of many who are active fan favorites but don’t survive in the stories of cycling, a few decades later - I didn’t really know anything about him and this was a good read, thank you!RidesHills15-11-2026
- A calm, honest documentary, a bit of hagiography but mostly not too much. When he talks about a coffee shop, it aligns with several things in his world - he might want calm, but he does (more than a little bit) have someone near him (his fiancee) who makes sure that things happen the way he expects. Many atheletes have retired only to find out just how much others were taking care of their lives for them. If they work out (I'm old, things happen), I am sure it will take a renegotiation, which is a good thing. I truly enjoyed watching it, seeing him, seeing her, seeing the whole system built around him.RidesHills15-11-2026
- You do? My mother grew up around Bleiburg (Pliberk), across the border in Austria . My grandparents lived close to the train station in Bleiburg, and I spent a lot of the 70s and 80s there. The "Jugo" train of my youth went to Dravograd or Maribor, exotic places (behind the wall) at the time. What a moment that was, the 10 days war of '91 - times sure have changed.RidesHills15-11-2026
- I hope he rides a bitmij15-11-2026
- Greatest athlete this world has ever produced ! LOL ... you definitely are a comdian ! Cycling is so sprecialized and you think he's the greatest athlete ever ! Still laughing !frieders315-11-2026
- b.s. headline. Jonas wasn't told anything, it is just a pundit telling him what to do. the actual article is not even close to the insinuation of the headline.mij15-11-2026
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- Not a chance in hell.megasmacky15-11-2026
- If you go watch some races from last season other riders that have never caught Jonas...are now catching him. Some are just riding away from him and he can't hold the wheelmd197514-11-2026
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Close finish at criterium #Herentals. @JasperPhilipsen beaten by Wout van Aert in a stunning sprint. #alpecindeceuninck 📸 @PhotoNewsBe
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