“Since that day, I wanted to win here and point upwards,” Wout van Aert said, after crossing the finish line in the velodrome as victor in the 2026 Paris-Roubaix. “This one is for him, for his family, and for everyone who was there.”
The Visma-Lease a Bike rider was talking about his late teammate, Michael Goolaerts, who tragically passed away after suffering a heart attack during the second cobbled sector of the 2018 Paris-Roubaix race, aged just 23. That year was also the first time Van Aert tackled the 'Hell of the North', and both men were racing for Vérandas Willems-Crelan. The loss of his teammate and friend had a huge impact on the young Belgian, and he often signs off his social media posts with “#All4Goolie”.
