Wout van Aert’s former team boss ‘relieved that justice has been done’
Star rider Van Aert has been ordered to pay €662,000 for breaking contract with his old team
Wout van Aert’s former team boss says he’s relieved that “justice has been done,” after the star rider has been ordered to pay more than €600,000 for breaching contract.
Belgian pro Van Aert has been embroiled in a legal battle with Vérandas Willems-Crelan and the team manager Nick Nuyens since 2018, after he broke contract by leaving the team early to join Jumbo-Visma.
Initially, Belgian courts threw out Nuyens’s claim for compensation, but after appeal the Antwerp Labour Court ruled that Van Aert had an ongoing commitment to the team which he did not respect, with the 26-year-old ordered to pay €662,000 (£571,000) in compensation to Nuyens.
Vérandas Willems-Crelan, a Belgian Professional Continental team owned by Sniper Cycling BVBA, ceased to exist not long after Van Aert left the squad, as the outfit merged with Dutch squad Roompot-Charles, which itself disbanded in 2019.
In an interview with Dutch broadcaster Sporza, former pro Nuyens said: “I am especially relieved that justice has finally been done.”
"This is also important for cycling in general, because the judge has made it clear that a contract does mean something."
The dispute dates back to September 2018 when Van Aert left Willems and made the step up to WorldTour level a year ahead of schedule, while still under contact.
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Nuyens took Van Aert to court to seek compensation, demanding €1,150,000 (£991,719).
Van Aert’s departure came amid various plans for Véranda’s Willems-Crelan to merge with other teams, which eventually resulted in the parent company, Sniper Cycling, joining Roompot-Charles where Nuyens stayed on as team manager.
Former triple cyclocross world champion Van Aert, now a superstar on the road as well, publicly voiced his displeasure at being kept in the dark about potential mergers.
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Nuyens said: “[Not getting the initial amount of compensation] is not a disappointment, because it was not for me to do that amount in the first place, but to make a fair decision.
“The amount is mainly a result of [Van Aert’s] wage. It is a normal amount for the termination of contract.”
Van Aert can still appeal the court’s decision.
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Alex Ballinger is editor of BikeBiz magazine, the leading publication for the UK cycle industry, and is the former digital news editor for CyclingWeekly.com. After gaining experience in local newsrooms, national newspapers and in digital journalism, Alex found his calling in cycling, first as a reporter, then as news editor responsible for Cycling Weekly's online news output, and now as the editor of BikeBiz. Since pro cycling first captured his heart during the 2010 Tour de France (specifically the Contador-Schleck battle) Alex covered three Tours de France, multiple editions of the Tour of Britain, and the World Championships, while both writing and video presenting for Cycling Weekly. He also specialises in fitness writing, often throwing himself into the deep end to help readers improve their own power numbers. Away from the desk, Alex can be found racing time trials, riding BMX and mountain bikes, or exploring off-road on his gravel bike. He’s also an avid gamer, and can usually be found buried in an eclectic selection of books.
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