Flat tires, crashes and corona haunt Wout van Aert: his bad moments at Ronde/Roubaix listed

The heavy fall in Dwars door Vlaanderen means the end of spring for Wout van Aert. It is not the first time that Van Aert has had bad luck in the spring. Falls, flat tires and a virus have often been the culprit before or during the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.

After places of honor in Strade Bianche, Milan-Sanremo and E3 Classic, Wout van Aert was at the start in Paris-Roubaix with ambitions. Competing for victory was not an option.

It started with a flat tire in the Forest of Wallers. It was impossible to continue driving and change wheels because his chain was blocked. Van Aert had to continue on Pascal Eenkhoorn’s bike.

When he joined the peloton he switched back to his own bike, but that didn’t end well either. During the chase he veered away in a bend.

Van Aert had to navigate between the support cars to return to the peloton. That was before the final. He was able to play for a long time, but his legs were full and the then 24-year-old Van Aert finished 22nd.

In the redesigned cycling year of 2020, Van Aert was successful in Italy. He won Strade Bianche and Milan-Sanremo. Full of ambition, he went to the Tour of Flanders for the occasion on October 18.

There he did not encounter bad luck, but a Dutchman. In a sprint with two people he was beaten by Mathieu van der Poel. Van Aert did not come any closer to a victory in Flanders Most Beautiful.

Getting revenge in Paris-Roubaix was also not an option. The French classic was canceled due to the corona pandemic.

Two years later, Wout van Aert also suffered from the coronavirus, this time even personally. In the week before the Tour of Flanders he tested positive for Covid.

For example, he had to draw an end to participation in De Hoogmis (and the Amstel Gold Race). That year, Paris-Roubaix was scheduled a week later than other years. Van Aert recovered and was still able to participate.

Just like in the 2020 Tour, it was a close story. He came second, almost 2 minutes behind winner Dylan van Baarle, then still a rider with INEOS Grenadiers.

Then win in 2023? No, because once again the cycling gods were not on Van Aert’s side in his most important period of the season.

In the Tour of Flanders he finished 4th. Tadej Pogacar and Mathieu van der Poel were a bit too strong, Mads Pedersen beat him for 3rd place.

Van Aert was involved in a massive fall and had a bloody knee, but he said that had no influence. “It didn’t bother me much during the match,” Van Aert said afterwards.

The invisible tormentor was mainly present in Paris-Roubaix last season. On Carrefour de l’Arbre, the last important cobblestone section, he seemed to be pulling away from an elite group together with Van der Poel.

But bad luck once again killed Wout van Aert. He suffered a puncture in the last few hundred meters of the stretch. He was able to switch immediately, but Van der Poel’s bird had started flying. Van Aert came third.

What happened on Wednesday during Dwars door Vlaanderen broke the hearts of cycling-loving Flanders. In the lightning-fast descent towards the Kanarieberg, Van Aert touched the rear wheel of teammate Benoot.

Together with a dozen others, Van Aert suffered a serious crash. The verdict is harsh: broken collarbone, cracked sternum and several broken ribs.

For example, he will miss the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix for the first time.