Wout van Aert’s recalls a moment in 2024 that gave him the crullest blow, in pursuit of glory in the 2024 Classics came to a heartbreaking end outside Ronse, 67km from the finish of Dwars door Vlaanderen. The Belgian’s crash, which left him with a shredded jersey, road rash, and multiple fractures, was more than just a physical blow—it shattered a dream that he had nurtured for years. His reaction, visible to viewers, was an outpouring of emotion, one that captured both the agony of pain and the profound sense of loss.
As his body trembled in sobs, the magnitude of his crash and its implications began to settle in. The sound of Van Aert’s anguished howl resonated through the broadcast, overshadowing the excited commentary. It wasn’t clear whether the raw emotion was from the pain of his injuries or the realization that his much-anticipated Classics campaign had ended—this time not with a Roubaix victory but with a painful defeat on an empty road.
This moment of despair for Van Aert recalls another tragic day in cycling history, drawing an inevitable comparison to Irish legend Sean Kelly. Kelly’s moment of heartbreak occurred in 1987 during the Tour de France, when he suffered a fractured collarbone in a crash during Stage 12. Although Kelly was no stranger to physical pain, the true agony lay in the realization that his Tour de France aspirations had come to an abrupt end. Despite battling on for an hour, he was forced to abandon the race, and as team director Christian Rumeau placed a long-sleeved jersey on Kelly’s shoulders, the famously stoic Irishman wept openly, displaying an emotion rarely seen in cycling’s toughest competitors.
For both Van Aert and Kelly, these moments represent far more than the pain of broken bones; they mark the end of a significant chapter in their careers. Van Aert’s tears as he pulled out of the 2024 Classics reflected more than just physical pain; they were a symbol of how fleeting dreams in cycling can be. The sport is filled with moments of dazzling glory, yet it is also a beautiful sport with a dark edge—where the finest dreams can be crushed in an instant.
Wout van Aert, a rider known for his versatility and exceptional skill, had hoped that 2024 would be the year he claimed victory on the cobbled roads of Roubaix. Instead, the cruel reality of cycling’s inherent risks—where victory is never guaranteed, and dreams can slip away in an instant—has once again stung him. The comparison to Kelly’s moment of despair is poignant because both men shared similar aspirations for greatness, only to have their hopes dashed by an unforgiving twist of fate.
The 2024 Classics, tragically, will not see Van Aert’s name etched in victory. But in a sport where the margin between triumph and tragedy is razor-thin, his resilience will define him as much as any victory ever could.
