Wout van Aert experienced a disappointing season in 2024. His fall at Dwars door Vlaanderen had previously forced him to withdraw from all major Classics, including the Tour de France. When the Belgian returned to the Vuelta a Espana, it appeared that he was back to his best form… until another crash forced him to abandon. That was Van Aert’s signal to declare the season over.
Later that September, Van Aert with his wife went onto holidays to Pinzolo, a picturesque village in Trento. In an Instagram post afterwards, the Belgian couple posted a short video of Van Aert metaphorically (and literally) throwing his crutches into a waste containter.
Unfortunately for Van Aert, that crate was not where his crutches belonged, and local officials discovered the video footage of his acts. Even when the Belgian apparently removed his crutches from the crate, he was nonetheless fined and shipped all the way to Belgium, according to HLN. Van Aert appears to have paid the money without protest.