‘Always nice when your heroes say hello’ – Bradley Wiggins in awe of cycling superstar Wout van Aert

Discovery Cycling expert Bradley Wiggins has hailed Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) as a “modern day hero” after seeing the Belgian rewrite what is possible on a bike. Van Aert joined an illustrious group to win a mountain stage, time trial and bunch sprint at a single Tour de France last year. Only Bernard Hinault (1978) and Eddy Merckx (1974) have also managed the feat.

Ad/> He also remains one of the most feared one-day racers and already boasts a bulging haul of classics wins, while he is also a three-time cyclo-cross world champion. He has already won Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and E3 Saxo Bank Classic this season. Cycling‘A shift in cycling's inclusivity’ – Wiggins says Girmay win ‘changes everything’A DAY AGO Speaking at Discovery's year of cycling launch, Wiggins said: “Wout van Aert without doubt is my favourite rider at the moment.

“He continues to impress me week in week out, so do Mathieu and Pogacar, but Wout van Aert, he's a complete gentleman off the bike as well. “And that's not to say the others aren’t either by the way. It's just certain things separate you when you're looking at heroes of the sport.

'Can’t trump talent with money' — Wiggins fires Ineos warning Wiggins: I think I'd have struggled against Pogacar ‘A shift in cycling's inclusivity’ – Wiggins says Girmay win ‘changes everything’ “I've been blessed with having so many heroes that I look up to in the sport and continue to, and Wout van Aert for me is a modern day hero of mine. “Whether I was 15 or 42, we all have heroes when we watch sport and that's the beauty of sports. Wout van Aert is my hero at the moment.

He really is. “The fact he knows who I am, I find very hard to believe every day when I'm at the races and he says hello to me. It reminds me