At the end of May he put a bib back on his back at the Tour of Norway and it came off on the first climb. Amen. Fifty-seven days after the terrible fall at Dwarves in Flanders which had left him with nine fractures, which had made him miss Flanders, the other classics, the Giro, which had kept him away from racing and cycling for almost two months, he hadn’t gone to the Tour of Norway to win and perhaps not even To partecipate. But Wout Van Aert he wasn’t there to win, to rank, or to lend a hand as leader of his squadron. He had gone up there to understand where his recovery, his legs, his mind and probably his dreams were. Dreams of glory obviously, dreams that from the stones of Flanders which remain his worm and his obsession this year faded, will take him to the start of the Tour in a few days but above all to Paris which in a few months will be an Olympic Paris. Van Aert and the former world champion Remco Evenepoel will lead the Belgian men’s team at the French Games. The Belgian Federation announced today that both riders will compete in the individual time trial and the road race. They will be joined by Tiesj Benoot And Jasper Stuyven in road racing while Arnaud De Lie was selected as a reserve along with Jasper Philipsen, Yves Lampaert And Tim Wellens. A bit of peace that reopens a glimmer of hope in a season that has so far seemed cursed for the champion from Herentals. Whatever happens and however Van Aert goes in the race, Van Aert at the Tour of Norway, Van Aert at the Tour, Van Aert at the Games is good news not only for him, for his fans, for the Belgian people but for everyone. Van Aert belongs to that highly select group of champions who race for a team and a country but who in reality do not have a jersey or country and race for all those who love cycling. And missed all these months. He was missed at Flanders, at Roubaix because his duels with Mathieu Van der Poel are the added value of epic and fascinating challenges. He missed the Giro d’Italia which he certainly wouldn’t have won but certainly fired up considering that he is one of the few champions today capable of winning and being a protagonist in escapes, uphill and in the sprint. One of the few capable of holding his own, even if not in general, a Tadej Pogacar who had no opponents in this Giro. He has been missed by all of cycling in recent months because his absolute class, his charisma, his generosity and his often unlucky protagonist have been missed. That he is back in the Games pleases everyone.