“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”.
Van Aert vowed to win Paris-Roubaix for Goolaerts, and this year, during his eighth time of contesting the Monument, he succeeded, defeating Tadej Pogačar during a dramatic sprint finish in the famous velodrome, which had spectators roaring at screens all around the world. It was a moment drenched in emotion, and as well as dedicating the victory to his fallen teammate, Van Aert said he would be sending the winner’s bouquet to his friend’s family. Today it was confirmed that the podium flowers arrived, along with an urn shaped like a cobblestone.
The Belgian news outlet Sporza spoke to Goolaerts’ parents after Van Aert’s victory. "It is overwhelming,” said his father, Staf. “Since Michael's death I don't normally watch racing anymore… it hurts too much. Especially because these were his kind of races. I try to shut it out a bit. So today I wasn't following it either.
"But I was on my way back from visiting my mother and heard on the radio that Wout had a chance of winning. I pulled into our driveway and just stayed there, listening… I also heard Wout's first interview there. The tears were rolling down my cheeks."
"I went inside and my wife was watching everything on television – unlike me, she can still watch the races. Then we heard Wout's interview again in Dutch. Absolutely beautiful."
After the 2018 race, the cobbled sector at Briastre, where Goolaerts fell from his bike after suffering a cardiac arrest, was renamed ‘Secteur Pavé Michael Goolaerts’ in honour of the much-missed Belgian rider.
Van Aert described getting goosebumps when riding this sector, and after the race he said: “I like to believe he gave me a bit of extra power today. It’s a good thing, and a beautiful thing that I can dedicate this victory to his family."
“We’re not superstitious, but it felt like Michael was riding along with him," said Goolaerts' mother, Marianne. "He has never really let him go," she explained. "Michael is still in his heart.”
“He kept his word… For us, this feels like a victory for our Michael”
