What should you get your partner for Valentine’s Day? If you’re to go by tradition, the answer’s a gushy card, some chocolates, and a bouquet of roses. Maybe you’re more of a silly trinkets person, who likes to surprise with a heart-shaped penguin teddy from the supermarket, or a deck of cringy ‘I owe you cards’. Perhaps you prefer to save your money for a nice dinner out – candlelit, of course.
All of these are valid options for us mortals. But if you’re Wout van Aert, you can go a step further.
Early this morning, the Belgian arose before the crack of dawn to make a romantic tribute to his wife, Sarah de Bie. He put on his running trainers, left his hotel, and zigzagged for 7km through the streets of Sineu, a town on the island of Mallorca, where the Visma-Lease a Bike rider is away on a training camp.
I know what you're thinking: what’s a run got to do with Van Aert’s beloved? Well, when he posted his file on Strava, the map revealed an artfully traced ‘S’, his wife’s first initial. “Drawing a heart was a bit too complicated,” Van Aert wrote. “Happy Valentines day S.”
This post was the first thing I saw when I unlocked my phone this morning – yes, I went straight to Strava – and I was touched by the gesture.
It’s an act that required planning, sincere thought, and the passion to get up and run outside before sunrise. What’s more, it dispensed with the commercial nightmare that the holiday has become. It’s a true show of love, heartfelt and freely delivered.
These, I have now realised, are the ingredients for the perfect Valentine’s gift. Van Aert’s a modern-day Romeo, and he nailed it. Now please excuse me while I go and look for my running shoes.
Elsewhere on social media this week, Thibaut Pinot hugs a fluffy calf, Tadej Pogačar teases his debut in Paris-Roubaix, and Lorena Wiebes makes winning look easy.
1. O Wout van Aert, Wout van Aert, wherefore art thou, Wout van Aert?
#SaintValentin 💝 / 🇧🇪 Wout van Aert (TVL) fait un geste original pour la Saint-Valentin en direction de sa femme Sarah De Bie.Canard ou pas ? 😂 pic.twitter.com/Z2AgFVghF5February 14, 2025
2. Let's not forget what Valentine's Day is all about: Valentin Paret-Peintre
Happy Valentin's Day everyone 😍🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/4N29BiXfRYFebruary 14, 2025
3. If you haven't bought a card for your significant other yet, EF Education-EasyPost have you covered
4. Let's see how easily Gilles Dockx sings this song when he's four hours into climbing Mauna Kea in Hawaii
Ain’t no mountains high enough for our singer Gilles Dockx 🕺😂 pic.twitter.com/8PthLmRUIVFebruary 13, 2025
5. Don't lie, you've done it too
Love cycling. When out on my bike and I hear a helicopter overhead I immediately start an internal Tour de France race commentary inside my head and pretend I'm on the telly.February 11, 2025
6. Meet Titi, Thibaut Pinot's new calf, and the cutest farm animal in eastern France
7. Almost three million people saw this video of Tadej Pogačar riding through the Arenberg Forest this week – that's more than the entire population of Slovenia
8. Not everyone was delighted at the idea of Pogačar racing Paris-Roubaix, though
"Tadej Pogacar training on Arenberg" https://t.co/830T4l6o88 pic.twitter.com/PifuXW9YxQFebruary 11, 2025
9. It's nice to see Victor Camel-penaerts enjoying the sunshine
👀 POV: We've made a new friend 🐫 pic.twitter.com/GC404UI17YFebruary 8, 2025
10. Lorena Wiebes has 96 victories to her name now, and they're only getting easier
✌️😎✌️Starting 2025 on a high 🚀📸 @GettySport #wesparksuccess pic.twitter.com/JkOis2LOH6February 9, 2025
11. If the team mechanic is keeping up with you on foot, you're probably not cycling fast enough
Hard day for mechanic José 🏃🤣 pic.twitter.com/RBKjx13NdJFebruary 10, 2025
12. And finally, here's Olympic legend Sir Chris Hoy getting the hero's welcome he deserves at Murrayfield
