Wout van Aert frustrated that he gets sick faster

Wout van Aert seems to have been sidelined by illness more frequently in recent years, something even the three-time cyclocross world champion himself has noticed. However, he’s not entirely sure why this is happening, although there are some suspicions.

Three years ago, he even missed his main goal, the Tour of Flanders, due to such an illness, but since then this issue has played a role more often ahead of other important races.

Last year, he had to delay the start of his cyclocross season because of illness, his Giro started on a lower note due to the same problem, and just before the Tour de France, he had to skip the Belgian Road Championships in Binche. Not to mention the illnesses during his preparation.

“Unfortunately, I get sick too often these days. In the past, I never really felt like I got sick. Is it because of the kids now, or do I sometimes think that since corona we all get sick more easily? In any case, I have the feeling that I’ve become much more susceptible over the last few years. I’ve gotten quite frustrated about that several times," Van Aert said clearly during his appearance on the podcast Live Slow Ride Fast.

These illnesses could be passed on through his children’s school, but Van Aert doesn’t want to take any measures in that regard. “I also just want to be a normal dad, by giving our children as normal an upbringing as possible. The last thing I want is to keep them home from school to avoid illnesses or something like that. Not a chance I’m even thinking about that.”