From 2019 to eternity: Wout van Aert renews for life with Visma-Lease A Bike

Fortunately, cyclists' contracts are becoming longer, but what has just happened is the first time we have seen it in the peloton. Wout van Aert and his team, Visma-Lease A Bike, have just announced an extension of his contract until the end of his career.

Van Aert signs a definitive contract with Visma-Lease A Bike

The Belgian currently had a contract with Visma until the end of 2026, but just in one of his worst seasons, due to falls in competition, his team wanted to show confidence in this super cyclist with an unprecedented contract extension to date.

They have announced it on their social networks with a simple and clear message: "2019-eternity"

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"I didn't have to think much when this idea came up," explained Van Aert. "First of all, because at Team Visma-Lease a Bike we work with the best people and the best team. Together we are constantly looking for improvements, which means that we continue to develop individually, but also as a team. I owe a lot of success to that, we really do it together."

"But besides that, I feel at home in this team, which is very important to me. This team is unique and has been good for me for five years and I want to keep it that way. That's why I decided to stay here forever, and it feels very good."

On his part, Richard Plugge, CEO of Visma-Lease A Bike responded as follows after the announcement: "Wout is, of course, a fantastic cyclist with a great track record" "He is a versatile rider: a sprinter, a classic cyclist, a time trialist, and on his best days he also wins a mountain stage like the famous victory on Mont Ventoux in the Tour de France." "But besides that, Wout has really become an important carrier of the culture, an indispensable link in our team. He is a leader and a team player."

"He is a rider who also improves others in the team, just through his ideas and charisma. We are extremely happy with him and fortunately, that is mutual."

Nothing has been leaked about his salary, but it is sure to have been increased in this new contract and it would not be surprising if it included some clauses for the same contract to increase in the coming years. It is worth remembering that Van Aert currently ranked with 3.5 million euros annually among the 5 highest-paid cyclists in the world.