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Wout van Aert quits cycling takes up new career as a Singing Squirrel

After his season was cut short by injury, Wout van Aert found himself with time to try new things including singing ...

Wout van Aert takes up new career as a Singing Squirrel

In the Belgian edition of The Masked Singer, a singing squirrel was revealed to be the Visma | Lease a Bike rider!

The show recently featured a man in a squirrel costume, igniting speculations: could it be Van Aert behind the mask? On Friday night, the speculation ended as the cyclist unveiled himself, performing Blur’s "Song 2" to a delighted audience. Whether the Belgian is suited for a career shift is for you to judge. Johan Vansummeren and Jelle Vanendert, who have previously critiqued the cycling star, may not be pleased with this development.

Notably, Van Aert is not the first cyclist to participate in The Masked Singer; Nairo Quintana previously charmed the audience in Colombia, disguised as a chameleon.

The team leader of Visma | Lease a Bike shared his reasons for joining the show on stage. “I accepted the invitation because they needed a special guest, and a full season wouldn’t fit into my racing calendar. The excitement and nerves were precisely why I wanted to do it; it felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. When I realized I’d be a squirrel, I looked at my costume and thought: What the heck?”

Van Aert subtly hinted at his participation on Strava. In the Behind The Mask series on VTM GO, Van Aert disclosed that he had left subtle clues for his observant fans. Followers on Strava might have noticed them. “On one of my training rides, I used a little squirrel emoji for fun.” That was months prior, but a more recent clue was given. “A few weeks before the TV broadcast, I resumed outdoor training after my Vuelta injuries and captioned the ride ‘Woo-hoo.’”