Tweets of the week: Wout van Aert reunited with lost watch, Bradley Wiggins catches some rays, and one cyclist opts for chain mail

There are mementos to be found at bike races, as long as it's not Wout van Aert's Garmin

Wout van Aert competing for Belgium in a cyclo-cross race
(Image credit: Getty Images)

I came across a heartwarming video this week of two young cyclo-cross fans returning a watch to Wout van Aert.

It happened at the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships last weekend, where the Belgian finished second, earning a silver medal, but losing his beloved Garmin in the process. “How will I ever tell the time again?” he must have thought. The prang of fear lasted only moments.

It made me think about where the line is with keepsakes, though. In some sports, there’s a consensus that anything you catch is fair game. People go to the baseball hoping to pocket some new treasure, for example. Then again, the rules are different at the cricket, where you’re expected to throw the ball back.

So where’s the line in cycling? Well, bidons, casquettes, and musettes are for the taking, everyone knows that. Kit is a grey area – I’ve seen stories of riders asking for discarded rain capes to be returned, while others gleefully toss their sunglasses into the crowd (I’m looking at you, Giulio Ciccone). And watches, well watches, apparently, are a step too far. Caught one? Locate Wout van Aert immediately.

That said, I reckon we wouldn’t have seen such a heartwarming story had those lads caught Mathieu van der Poel’s wrist adornment last Sunday. It’s not that I’m earmarking them as potential thieves, I just think that, if anyone came into the sudden possession of €300,000 worth of riches, they’d probably keep it quiet.

That’s right, Van der Poel reportedly wore a €300,000 watch when he won his seventh world title. A Richard Mille RM67-02, if you were wondering.

You won’t know if I ever catch Van der Poel’s watch, but there will be signs. I’ll stop wearing jeans with holes in them for starters. Oh, and I'll start riding an S-Works.

1. You're lucky you weren't wearing a Richard Mille, Wout

2. There's a parallel universe somewhere in which Lachlan Morton lives life as the coolest barista in Melbourne

A post shared by Oatly (@oatly)

A photo posted by on

3. Your rollers skills may be good, but can you peel an orange, play the guitar or solve a Rubik's cube at the same time?

4. Sir Bradley Wiggins to the Vuelta a España, you heard it here first

5. How does a pro bike rider get home from a race? They cycle, of course

6. Forget having a lead-out man, try a lead-out van instead

7. How hard can it be giving only wrong answers? Very, if this interview with Wout van Aert is anything to go by

8. Thomas De Gendt is the only rider to have completed 100 Tours de France, or so this photo leads us to believe

9. Who do we think the secret burger lover is then?

10. "Train hard. Rest harder," says Toms Skujiņš. Now there's some advice I can get behind

11. Anyone for a spot of cycle path jousting?

12. And finally, I'll leave you with a collection of the best costumes from the Cyclo-cross World Championships. Come for the Lego people, stay for the Breton chicken

Explore More

Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Tom Davidson
Senior News and Features Writer

Tom joined Cycling Weekly as a news and features writer in the summer of 2022, having previously contributed as a freelancer. He is fluent in French and Spanish, and holds a master's degree in International Journalism. Since 2020, he has been the host of The TT Podcast, offering race analysis and rider interviews.

An enthusiastic cyclist himself, Tom likes it most when the road goes uphill, and actively seeks out double-figure gradients on his rides. His best result is 28th in a hill-climb competition, albeit out of 40 entrants.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.