In “This Can’t Be Real Life” news this weekend, cyclocross and road legend Wout van Aert broke the internet by revealing himself as the squirrel on the Belgian edition of The Masked Singer. Then, not to be outdone, his chief rival, Mathieu van der Poel, raced against a rally car in Spain and won.
Wout Van Aert as a Squirrel
You’ve probably seen the US version of The Masked Singer, but if not, here’s the gist: celebs dress up in elaborate costumes, perform for a panel of judges, and progressively expose their identities throughout the season. It’s a silly spectacle, and a squirrel costume works perfectly with the pandemonium of the play.
Van Aert sang an energetic rendition of Blur’s Song 2, and while other contenders made repeated appearances, his other responsibilities limited his involvement.
Van Aert’s reveal left everyone surprised, including his training partner Daan Soete. Reflecting on the performance, Soete told Sporza, “I listened to the voice, but I couldn’t connect it to Wout—mainly because he didn’t sing very well. It wasn’t until I saw the squirrel’s dance moves that I began to believe it was him.”
“I was looking forward to it, but I was also a bit nervous,” Van Aert admitted. “I expected a cute teddy bear costume, not a latex suit,” he joked about his outfit. When asked why he joined, the Belgian said the organizers invited him, and the timing just happened to work. “It felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” he explained.
When you’ve beaten all the bikes in the world, why not try something faster, like race cars? This appears to be Mathieu van der Poel’s thinking. MVDP competed in the La Nucia Cycling Criterium in Alicante, Spain, this weekend alongside world rally champion Sébastien Loeb, as well as pros Alejandro Valverde, Gianni Vermeersch, Pablo Castrillo, and others. Of course, Loeb was behind the wheel, and Van der Poel did what he does best: compete—and win.
We could all need a nice laugh right now. So let’s take a moment to thank Van Aert and Van der Poel for injecting some unexpected levity into our news feeds this weekend.
