Smells like team spirit: How you can own Wout van Aert's odour
Jumbo-Visma to put smelly Tour of Flanders jerseys up for auction
In the realm of unique memorabilia offerings, the smell of your favourite rider is, arguably, king.
Jumbo-Visma know this. Despite his extensive merchandising range, you cannot purchase l’eau de Wout van Aert in a Dutch supermarket.
But you can get it in an online auction from this weekend. The powerhouse team announced yesterday its partnership with MatchWornShirt , a company that specialises in auctioning off kit that’s been on the backs of the pros - mostly in football.
That in itself is not terribly unusual. Used jerseys have long been a popular piece of memorabilia among fans, coming somewhere in the middle of a hierarchy that starts with bidons and works its way up to race-winning bikes.
But MatchWornShirt has a unique selling point; it’s not just the garment that’s in tact, it’s the odour as well.
The Jumbo-Visma website proudly boasts: “The jerseys are professionally cleaned using UV-C technology to remove bacteria and viruses, while maintaining the smell of your favourite rider and the dirt from the cobblestones. In this way, all jerseys are delivered as authentically as possible.”
The jersey’s come with a certificate of authenticity, should anyone question the scent wafting through your hallway at home.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
We’re not really sure what the use of this is unless, perhaps, you think getting a friend/partner/dungeon master to thrust said shirt in your face at the climax of a particularly hard Zwift session, à la Smell the Glove by Spinal Tap, so you can huff down the salty aroma of Belgium’s favourite son will allow you to channel his mega-watts.
None the less, these auctions have proved popular in the past. Alberto Bettiol’s signed jersey from the Giro d’Italia in 2021, where he won a stage, went for £1,711 ($2,100) and they washed that one; Julian Alaphilippe’s world champion’s jersey from the 2021 Tour of Flanders sold for £2,753 ($3,384); while the jersey of the winner of that race, and Danish national champion, Kasper Asgreen set one Belgian back £4,344 ($5,300).
If you do value not just a unique piece of memorabilia but one that smells authentic too then you’ll need to have a decent chunk of cash to hand.
If Wout van Aert wins on Sunday at the Tour of Flanders - the first race that jerseys will be sold from - then you will definitely need to find a sum of money of four figures, maybe even more.
But if you miss out this time, fear not as the team will be auctioning off kit from all the grand tours and several classics throughout the year.
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
Having trained as a journalist at Cardiff University I spent eight years working as a business journalist covering everything from social care, to construction to the legal profession and riding my bike at the weekends and evenings. When a friend told me Cycling Weekly was looking for a news editor, I didn't give myself much chance of landing the role, but I did and joined the publication in 2016. Since then I've covered Tours de France, World Championships, hour records, spring classics and races in the Middle East. On top of that, since becoming features editor in 2017 I've also been lucky enough to get myself sent to ride my bike for magazine pieces in Portugal and across the UK. They've all been fun but I have an enduring passion for covering the national track championships. It might not be the most glamorous but it's got a real community feeling to it.
-
Whyte Rheo 3 e-bike review: light on weight, light on torque, light on price
Can an e-city bike survive in the hills of a rural village? We put the Whyte Rheo 3 through its paces to find out.
By Hannah Bussey Published
-
'I have achieved everything that I can' - Mark Cavendish confirms retirement and final race
Brit chooses Sunday's Singapore Criterium for his swan song
By Tom Davidson Published