“Also after ’21, I am a very proud member of Team Jumbo-Visma. I am very happy with that”, Van Aert said at the training camp in Alicante. “I really wanted to extend because I have become a lot better with this team. I think everyone has seen that I have made huge steps forward as a rider in recent years. I was always in shape when I needed to. I owe a lot to the team to be able to work towards my goals. The decision that I wanted to re-sign was was made pretty pretty quickly in my mind. Of course there are other things that come into play and that required some time. The intention was good on both sides and I was confident that everything was going to be all right. I am very happy that I can pursue further successes in this familiar environment. I feel very good here and the past years have shown that I can do justice here. I don’t have to explain to you that there was more interest in me, but I have never had talks with another team. My goal was to extend the contract. We have become the best team in the world. It was best for me to stay. I am glad that it is done and I am relieved that I can speak out about it.”

The same goes for Managing Director Richard Plugge of Team Jumbo-Visma, who together with Merijn Zeeman had the final meeting with Van Aert in Alicante. “Wout is one of the big names, one of the big stars of cycling. He is the current number three of the world. For us it was important to keep him. There might have been other teams that were interested in Wout, but his intention was to sign from the beginning. We have helped him in his development and that is why he wants to stay. We quickly understood each other’s desire. Then the details took some time. I am very happy that we were able to keep him”, said Plugge.

Zeeman, Sportive Manager at the Dutch formation, is also pleased with the extension. “This is fantastic news for everyone on our squad and for our sponsors”, he said. “Wout has turned out to be a great trendsetter in cycling, a star I would say. He is someone who makes the sport more fun to watch. It is marvelous that he does this as a rider of Team Jumbo-Visma and that he will ride in yellow and black for years to come. We are very proud of that. We are also very grateful for the trust he has given us by choosing us and we are grateful to our partners who make this possible. For us as coaches, it is great to be able to work with such a personality and such a rider. This is a team that has been evolving continuously in recent years. This also applies to the team around Wout in the spring classics. I think last year’s analysis was that the support was insufficient. We are developing this. It will continue in the coming years to also become stronger in this area to give Wout the support he needs.”