Wout van Aert has delivered plenty of memorable moments on the bike\u2014but his most regrettable one came off it, less than 24 hours after finishing the Tour de France.<\/p>\n
Fresh from winning Stage 21 on the Champs-\u00c9lys\u00e9es, the Belgian decided to take care of some life admin and renew his passport. One look at the photo, though, and he knew it had been a mistake.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that was my worst idea of the week,\u201d he posted on Instagram, sharing the official photo for all to see. In it, Van Aert looks completely spent\u2014his face drawn from three weeks of racing, his expression blank, and a cold sore clearly visible on his lip.<\/p>\n
The image was part of a \u201cweekdump\u201d that included post-Tour beers, lounging in a custom \u201cParis 2025\u201d shirt, and soaking up some well-earned rest. But the passport shot stole the show, with his fans and fellow riders laughing along at his decision to lock in a look that screamed exhaustion\u2014for the next several years.<\/p>\n
Van Aert<\/a>, for his part, took it in stride.<\/p>\n \u201cI won a Tour stage. I can live with a bad photo,\u201d he joked in the caption.<\/p>\n Still, the message was clear: maybe wait a few days\u2014and let the cold sore heal\u2014before posing for something that lasts until 2035.<\/p>\n Next up for the Belgian superstar is the Deutschland Tour and\u2014a little trip here. He will race the Grands Prix Cyclistes de Qu\u00e9bec et Montr\u00e9al.<\/a> He may also race the Belgian gravel national championships in between. Might he be considering a shot at the gravel worlds? He has said he won\u2019t be in Rwanda for the road worlds, so maybe he\u2019s gonna go for a rainbow on the dirt.<\/p>\n Btw, a certain Tadej Pogacar will also be at the races in September in Quebec, so consider watching or visiting. It\u2019s the only stop for the WorldTour in North America, so that\u2019s pretty cool.<\/p>\n