‘Assassin’ Wout van Aert 'stopped believing a lot of times' before ending eight-year wait for emotional Paris-Roubaix triumph
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Updated 12/04/2026 at 19:20 GMT+1
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Emotions ran high after Wout van Aert ended his eight-year wait to claim victory at Paris-Roubaix in unforgettable fashion. The Belgian dedicated his victory to former team-mate Michael Goolaerts, who lost his life in 2018 when Van Aert made his debut at the French Monument. Van Aert explained how he "stopped believing a lot of times" after besting Tadej Pogacar in the sprint.
Highlights: Pogacar’s streak snapped as Van Aert wins Paris-Roubaix classic
Video credit: TNT Sports
Wout van Aert said he ”stopped believing a lot of times” that he could win Paris-Roubaix after out-sprinting Tadej Pogacar to claim a stunning and emotional maiden victory at the French Monument.
The Visma-Lease a Bike star entered the Roubaix velodrome wheel-to-wheel with the world champion - himself chasing an unprecedented Monuments clean sweep - before powering past the UAE Team Emirates superstar in a dramatic finale.
It marked Van Aert’s first Monument triumph for six years and the second of his career, but it was earned the hard way after both he and Pogacar suffered punctures during a chaotic contest completed at a record pace.
Emotions were high afterwards as Van Aert collapsed to the ground in celebration, and he dedicated the victory to his former team-mate Michael Goolaerts, who lost his life aged 23 in 2018 following a crash at Paris-Roubaix.
”It means everything to me. It’s been a goal since 2018, when I first did this race,” Van Aert said.
”It’s now eight years ago and in that race, I lost a team-mate, Michael Goolaerts. Ever since then, it’s been my goal to come here and point my finger to the sky. This victory is for Michael but especially for his family, for the staff… and all my friends and team-mates in my previous team.
”It was a really tough day and ever since then, in some kind of way, I was unlucky so many times in this race, but it also brought me experience. Even today, when luck was not on my side, I kept believing and finally, the reward is there.”
Van Aert had to see off the stiffest competition imaginable to claim victory, beating not only Pogacar, but also triple defending champion Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech), who came fourth after suffering two mechanicals on the Arenberg Forest cobbles.
”I did stop believing a lot of times but the next day I always woke up and fought for it again,” Van Aert said.
”Honestly, there is no more beautiful way [of winning] than going to the line with the world champion. He’s a true champion and he gave me such a hard time. Beating him in the sprint ‘mano a mano’ is something really special for me.
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”When I entered the velodrome, I was just sticking to my plan. In my dreams and in my preparation, I did the sprint so many times already, so I knew exactly what to do,” Van Aert added.
”The hardest part was coming to the velodrome, I would say. There were so many attacks from Tadej, so many times where I was on the limit to stay on his wheel. It was all worth it.
”It’s such a chaotic race, everybody coming to the line has his own story and that’s why it’s so beautiful. It can be hard but, on a day like this, it’s the best race there is.”
A choked-up Van Aert went on to explain to Eurosport quite how much the victory meant to him after making sacrifices, facing setbacks and suffering painful injuries along the way.
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Emotional Van Aert 'afraid he will wake up' after Paris-Roubaix triumph
Video credit: TNT Sports
Asked if it was all worth it for a day like today, he said: "Today it's so easy to say yes. Also, the process leading to a day like today is already worth it. It gave my life and my family's life meaning. This has been a hell of a job and it feels like I rounded some kind of circle with this victory. I've been chasing this for so long and today was the day."
Van Aert then appeared to choke up with emotion when asked about how his Visma-Lease a Bike team-mates had vowed to get a Monument victory for him.
"This team, it's easy to say, but it's also part of my family, part of my DNA. I feel so much joy when I deliver, when I can help a team-mate, but I also feel responsible in the moments when it sometimes doesn't work. This is one of the best races there is and to pull it off in this way, the team deserves it so much. I'm super proud."
Van Aert the ‘stone-cold assassin’
The Breakaway team were in awe of Van Aert’s achievement, with Matt Stephens hailing the ”assassin”-like quality of the Belgian’s sprint as well as his mental fortitude.
Van Aert’s victory came on the back of a series of injuries that have plagued him over the past couple of years, including an ankle injury that required surgery in January.
”He’s just got that resilience, perseverance, all the important qualities it takes to be a good human being,” Stephens said.
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'Catastrophic!' - Van der Poel suffers double puncture on the Arenberg Trench
Video credit: TNT Sports
”He’s been through so many ups and downs in his career but he’s picked himself up, dusted himself down, and what he’s never lost is dignity.
”Also, he’s a grafter, he gets stuck in, and a team-mate. Look at what he’s done in the Tour [de France] in the past. But look at his trajectory this year - it just got better and better and better.
”That sprint was the sprint of an assassin – that was cold, calculated and he 100% believed he could win it as soon as he went into that velodrome, the way he sat on Tadej’s wheel.
”Tadej must have felt the weight of the world on his shoulders when he opened up that sprint. He’s an aggressive bike racer, we love him as a human being, but that was a stone-cold assassin’s finish and he’s won the biggest bike race of his life.”
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