After a turbulent, up-and-down 2024, marked by a strong if abruptly curtailed classics campaign, a swashbuckling display – again cut short – at the Vuelta, a second Olympic medal, and two horrific, season-threatening crashes, it’s fair to say Wout van Aert has hit a rich vein of form in the new year.
After battling Eli Iserbyt to take his first cyclocross win for almost a year in Gullegem on Saturday, the Visma-Lease a Bike star powered through the horrible, squelchy mud of Dendermonde the next day, dominating the field and beating his nearest rival, cyclocross’ latest young prospect Emiel Verstrynge, by 1.20.
And while Van Aert won’t be competing for the rainbow jersey early next month (only Mathieu van der Poel to worry about for that one, simple), his ‘cross rivals will still be scratching their heads wondering what they can do to stop the Belgian superstar during the rest of his winter campaign.
But judging by the second clip in Van Aert’s recent Instagram post, detailing his first week of 2025 – which also included some fireworks, chocolate, and an interesting glove washing technique employed by his wife – the answer is simple… get a flock of sheep and make them block the road:
Ah, the joys of cycling in the countryside. I remember one sheep following me almost the whole way up a particularly steep climb, before running back into the field – I assume he thought I was too slow for him. Which I was.
And while Van Aert, skilled off-roader as he is, was able to expertly weave his way through the woolly barricade without much fuss, there was nevertheless one sheep who didn’t fancy making life easy for Belgium’s favourite son:
Must be a Van der Poel fan.
Could a stray lamb or two on a corner prove the secret weapon for Van Aert’s ‘cross rivals this January? Because as they worked out in Dendermonde, a drop of rain and a few puddles won’t do much to slow the rampant 30-year-old down.
Exhibit A: This clip of Van Aert, while training near his Herentals home this week, easily navigating a flooded off-road bike path under a bridge…
.@WoutvanAert fazendo arte pic.twitter.com/MFpOdvhPJ4
— O País Do Ciclismo (@opaisdociclismo) January 6, 2025
Bread and butter stuff. Where’s Shaun the Sheep when you need him?
Throughout the 2000s, Nike was a ubiquitous presence within the pro peloton, thanks to its partnership with a certain Lance Armstrong and the Texan’s US Postal, Discovery Channel, and Radioshack teams, along with its role designing the Tour de France’s yellow jersey.
But after an absence of 13 years, a consequence of Armstrong’s downfall and the sport’s ruined reputation, the American sportwear giant has recently started dipping its toes back into the cycling pool, securing personal sponsorship deals with the likes of Mark Cavendish, Cameron Wurf, and Letizia Paternoster.
Last April, 2023 Tour de France Femmes winner Demi Vollering announced her own personal deal with Nike, which despite not currently manufacturing any cycling-specific products has been rebuilding its cycling presence through Red Bull-style rider partnerships, with the brand’s famous swoosh logo appearing on Cavendish’s rebranded record-breaking DMT shoes at this year’s Tour.
And thanks to Vollering, the Dutch star’s new FDJ-Suez team announced last night its own agreement with the US company, becoming the only cycling team, men’s or women’s, to currently work with the biggest sportswear brand in the world.
According to FDJ-Suez, which along with signing a global star in Vollering from SD-Worx also secured the Dutch rider’s old bike supplier Specialized for 2025, Nike will come on board as the team’s official “lifestyle apparel supplier”.
That essentially means supplying all the squad’s off-bike clothing, such as tracksuits, t-shirts, and by the looks of the video announcing the deal, those horrible ‘90s retro trainers too. Gobik, meanwhile, will continue to provide the team’s cycling-specific gear.
“This partnership with Nike is a unique opportunity for our team. Collaborating with such an iconic brand will strengthen our identity while bringing a fresh dimension to our project,” said FDJ general manager Stephen Delcourt in a press release.
“We look forward to building this collaboration over the long term, enhancing our team’s image both on and off the competition stage.”
And beyond the financial benefits for FDJ, the French squad’s new deal could also prove important for cycling in general, particularly the women’s side of the sport. After a decade in the wilderness, Nike – and its money and power – is back in the peloton. And that can only be a good thing for the sport as it continues to grow.
In the second of our two exclusive interviews with Castelli boss Steve Smith, we ask him about the future of cycle clothing and find out about new eco-fabrics, integrated heating and lighting, and piezo technology could potentially create a new era in self-generated warmth for your cycling garments: