On days like stage 20’s blockbuster climax over the iconic Colle delle Finestre, commentators and journalists love to say of the outcome ‘you couldn’t write it.’ But you could, of course you could. Especially when the story you’re describing has been told countless times before, including over and again by one of the very same protagonists who took up the pen on Saturday – Wout van Aert.
A quote came to mind this weekend as I pondered the Belgian’s exploits in that breakaway, then helped to build the gap of teammate Simon Yates who’d out-smarted his rivals for pink on the Finestre: “He’s a silent guardian, a watchful protector. A dark knight.”
This is actually wildly inaccurate for a man we’ve seen win in all sorts of loud and conspicuous ways, from standing astride his pedals after a double ascent of Mont Ventoux, to flapping his arms to a defiant stage win in yellow just ahead of the bunch. But there’s a version of Van Aert who still makes an enormous impact, only in a rather different way. He goes about it quietly, just plugging away, doing his job with a mask of defiance upon his face.
“It's not the first time that he shows himself to be one of the best teammates in the world, and at the same time a huge champion,” Simon Yates said of Van Aert after taking pink on stage 20.
Which brings us back to Batman and the signal that’s sent up when all else fails, a last resort. When the only answer is the one man who can be relied upon to get the job done.
“When that light hits the sky, it’s not just a call. It’s a warning.”
The 2022 Tour stages to Wallers-Arenberg, Col du Granon and Hautacam; stage 5 to Laruns in 2023; stage 20 of the this year’s Giro… One of these was a rescue mission, a few were meticulously laid plans, while others were a seized opportunity, but there’s one thing they all have in common: Wout van Aert saves or makes the day. And in all but one of them, Van Aert was in the breakaway.
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