Wout van Aert reveals special Vuelta helmet designed by his sons

The design was the idea of Van Aert’s wife Sarah De Bie, who worked with Red Bull to turn the children’s drawings into a helmet for the Visma | Lease a Bike rider.

Georges and Jerome saw the finished version ahead of the team presentation in Monaco, where the Vuelta starts this weekend.

“I wanted to do something together with the children for Wout, to show that we are behind him,” De Bie told Sporza.

“We made drawings together and had them put on his Red Bull helmet. The boys loved it and are so proud that their dad will be riding around Spain with their drawings.

“For us, it is also a nice way to be with him a little when he is away from home for such a long time.”

Van Aert has raced with several custom helmets in recent years, including a special design for Paris Roubaix featuring fingerprints from Belgian Red Bull athletes. This one, though, comes with a more personal story ahead of his Vuelta return.

The 31-year-old missed the Tour de France after an infected elbow disrupted his summer. An altitude camp in Livigno followed, before he returned to racing at the Tour of Denmark as part of his Vuelta preparation.

The opening time trial in Monaco gives him an immediate target.

Van Aert has spent more time on his time trial bike in recent weeks and believes the first two stages could offer a chance to take the red leader’s jersey before the race reaches the mountains.

“There is not much time to take that jersey,” he said ahead of the start. “But with the time trial and stage two, there are two very good opportunities. It would be a dream to wear it again.”

Van Aert wore red during the 2024 Vuelta and won three stages before crashing out on stage 16.

This time, stage wins are again the main priority. Visma arrive without a clear overall classification leader, leaving Van Aert and his teammates freedom to chase results across the three weeks.

“The goal for me and the team is to be as successful as possible and win as many stages as possible,” Van Aert said. “I am a versatile rider and this course gives me many opportunities.”