Wout van Aert had surgery for his broken collarbone in the Herentals hospital. Striking: the intervention was done by Tom Claes, the son of the doctor who treated Van Aert in 2019 after his heavy fall in the Tour.
Rest is the best medicine for his 7 broken ribs and cracked sternum, but Wout van Aert was able to undergo surgery on his broken collarbone after his heavy fall in Dwars door Vlaanderen.
The leader of Visma-Lease a Bike went under the knife this afternoon in the hospital in Herentals.
Van Aert is already in good hands there, because he is being treated by Tom and Steven Claes, the sons of the renowned former doctor Toon Claes.
It was Toon Claes who patched up Wout van Aert after his fall in the time trial of the Tour de France 2019. Remco Evenepoel, Tom Boonen, Greg Van Avermaet and Mathieu van der Poel, among others, also visited the top doctor in the past.
Since Toon Claes’ retirement at the end of last year, his sons Tom and Steven have taken over the orthopedic surgery department of the AZ in Herentals.
It is still unclear how long Wout van Aert will have to recuperate. He must draw a line through the spring. There is still a big question mark about his participation in the Tour of Italy (4-26 May).
