Wout van Aert zal nooit meer racen vanwege zijn gezondheidsproblemen…
In the aftermath of his crash on Stage 16 of La Vuelta a España, Visma-Lease a Bike has confirmed that Wout van Aert will be calling his season early.
“Van Aert will not race anymore this season. The rider from Visma-Lease a Bike needs time to recover from his crash in the Vuelta a España,” read the statement shared by his team. “He suffered a serious knee injury that will require intensive care.”
Van Aert won three stages in the Vuelta and led the Points Jersey and Mountains Jersey competitions going into the last week of the Spanish grand tour.
His crash happened on a high-speed turn while descending in the final 50 kilometers of Stage 16 on Tuesday. He had hit the bike of breakaway companion Felix Engelhardt of Jayco-AlUla, who crashed first in front of Van Aert.
He suffered injuries to his right elbow and hip and a deep knee wound. After collecting himself, the Belgian tried to continue riding, but the knee injury was too painful. Visma-Lease a Bike later confirmed that he hadn’t suffered any fractures in the crash, but said he suffered severe knee pain as a result of a deep wound.
“Wout said on the radio that he could not pedal. A few bends further, we stopped again,” sports director Addy Engels told Het Nieuwsblad. “The doctor then came to clean the wound, and Wout said that it would not work anymore. It’s sad because Wout was also in a good mood.”
“That wound requires intensive care. Wout will travel back to Belgium to continue his recovery,” Engels added.
“Van Aert stays in the hospital in Belgium, where he will receive intravenous antibiotics to minimize the risk of infection,” the team stated Thursday.
While the absence of fractures gave much hope that the Belgian would still race the UCI World Championships at the end of the month, Van Aert had opted to focus on his recovery.
“He will then take a break to make a full recovery before cautiously setting his sights on the next season,” Visma-Lease a Bike shared.
Van Aert’s 2024 season has been a series of highs and lows, capped off by this latest injury at La Vuelta. Earlier in the year, a crash at Dwars door Vlaanderen resulted in a fractured collarbone and ribs, which forced him to spend months recovering. While he showed flashes of form with podium finishes at the Tour de France and the Olympic time trial, his three stage wins at the Vuelta, and strong climbing signaled his return.
For Visma-Lease a Bike, this string of bad luck has been tough to swallow. Team leader Jonas Vingegaard-Hansen also struggled after a crash earlier in the year, and his super domestique Sepp Kuss had to skip the Tour de France due to illness.
Despite the team’s grand tour dominance in 2023, they’ve faced a rougher road in 2024, showing that even the best teams can’t always count on luck.