Cryptic Van Aert turns Strava into daily quiz: From "I’ve lost everything but time" to "cold sweat"

Van Aert is currently in Denia for his first winter training camp. While his knee isn’t fully recovered yet, as evidenced by a recovery brace he showed on his social channels, it hasn’t dampened his spirits. In principle, the cycling phenomenon is back to doing everything he loves. Running is a big hobby of his, and he’s been back on the bike for a few weeks after sustaining a troublesome knee injury during the Vuelta a España.

In October, Van Aert logged over 1,300 kilometers on Strava. It started with a cheerful "Woo-hoo" caption at the beginning of the month but turned more serious when his mileage increased a week later. "No longer in heaven," he captioned a 74-kilometer ride, signaling a departure from the bliss of leisurely cycling. Of course, he kept pushing. By mid-October, music provided some motivation, with captions like "I’ve lost everything but time" and "I wasn’t the if, but the unless," referencing songs by Dutch-speaking artists Joost (Europapa) and Veldhuis & Kemper (Ik wou dat ik jou was).

Some captions were less profound. For example, "Showing the Netherlands to a Dutch person," referring to a ride with Lucinda Brand of Baloise Trek Lions, was fairly self-explanatory. But two days later, a ride titled "Kromme Nol Kering" required some Googling. Turns out it’s a floodgate located in the Netherlands, more specifically in the Heusdensch Canal between Heusden and Wijk en Aalburg. Look at that, we learned a bit of geography along the way!

By October’s end, Van Aert had completed just two rides over 100 kilometers, a sign of where he was in his recovery. Thankfully, his training load increased in November. But what titles like "The crazy lulu," "Gluten-free gust," or "Mafia" meant for his early rides of the month... Well, your guess is as good as ours. Even "One is a pet, two is a zoo" and "A brownie with white chocolate" require some further explanation, which he did not provide.

Since November 8, Van Aert has been posting from Denia, where his captions have grown even more poetic. "Hands-free like it’s nothing," he captioned a nearly three-hour ride of 92.63 kilometers. On November 9, he posted "Overtake," which left many scratching their heads. A bit more clear was "Young bees," referencing a ride with Visma’s young talent Tijmen Graat. Humor took over on November 11 when Van Aert shaped a recovery ride into a fish on Strava’s map.

In between the fun, there’s been plenty of hard work, helped by good weather. Captions like "Nothing better than dodging threatening clouds," "Nothing better than successfully waiting for some sunshine," and "Nothing better than unexpectedly staying dry" captured the mood. A photo of his son Georges riding a bike without training wheels on the rough Spanish terrain came with the caption "Cold sweats" Understandable, papa Wout!

Have Van Aert’s legs improved in the meantime? Undoubtedly, but progress is never fast enough for champions. On November 17, after logging 150 kilometers with over 2,700 meters of elevation gain, his Strava caption showed some self-reflection: "Quarter-life crisis," he joked. The consequences of this first serious test came the next day, as he posted "The approval of my bad shape" for a 34-kilometer recovery ride.

Fortunately, his family has been keeping him company this month, making his current lack of top form easier to handle. Perhaps his cryptic caption for a 117-kilometer ride with 1,852 meters of elevation gain offers some insight: "I have an illness, and it’s a very specific one." Was he referring to the fact that three days after his "quarter-life crisis," he was once again pushing himself to the limit?

At least all that cycling comes with perks beyond sore legs. When Van Aert left for a tough 158-kilometer ride with 2,522 meters of elevation on November 20 at 10:00 AM, he returned to find the dishes done. "Avoided washing up," he quipped. Classic Wout!