The biggest pain has subsided and recovery is going well, Giro still a serious option for Wout van Aert

Without Wout van Aert, Visma-Lease a Bike could not compete against Mathieu van der Poel in the Ronde. Van Aert is fully recovering from his collarbone procedure, but the healing is going well. The Giro is still a serious option.

LOOK. Van Aert and Stuyven leave hospital in ambulance

No top ten for Visma-Lease a Bike in the Tour of Flanders

Dylan van Baarle (83rd) drove from flat tire to flat tire. After a previous equipment failure on the Koppenberg

Tiesj Benoot (15th) on his way to a nice place of honor, but he had a puncture in the final kilometers and did not get a smooth bike change – his spare bike was no longer on the roof of the support vehicle.

Matteo Jorgenson (31st) tried to follow Mathieu van der Poel on the Koppenberg, but the effort paid off and he completely failed at the end.

Sports director Grischa Niermann: “Wout would have been the only one who could have followed Mathieu and been Mathieu’s equal. Then they might have fought it out in a sprint, but the reality is that Wout was not there.”

Jorgenson tried to follow Van der Poel on the Koppenberg. © Photo News

Wout van Aert visited his friends on the day of the Tour and ate fries. He has been back home since Saturday and, under the circumstances, he is doing well. According to our information, the main pain has subsided from his broken ribs, collarbone and sternum. He still experiences the most inconvenience from the burns and abrasions after scraping over the asphalt at 80 km/h in Dwars door Vlaanderen.

Niermann: “There is no news to report about his rehabilitation. We will look at this further in the coming days and let the doctors decide what is possible.”

Growth scenario

Despite his medical bulletin to tell you, rehabilitation could start sooner than expected. According to our information, the Tour of Italy (May 4-May 26) is still a serious option. A requirement is that the fractures continue to heal properly, the rehabilitation proceeds quickly and he can complete a minimum of training. In his original program, Van Aert would take a short rest after Paris-Roubaix and/or the Amstel Gold Race and work towards the Giro without an altitude training camp.

Wout van Aert at his fall in Dwars voor Vlaanderen. © vrt

Suppose he rides the Giro effectively, it will not be the very best Van Aert who will be at the start in Turin. That doesn’t have to be an obstacle. Van Aert has experience with growing in a Grand Tour. Due to appendicitis, he did not have an ideal preparation for the 2021 Tour. In that first Tour week he had to pass against Van der Poel and co, but halfway through the Tour he came through and won three more stages, including the stage to the Mont Ventoux. The same ‘growth scenario’ is also intended for the Giro.

Participating in the 2024 Tour is not in Van Aert’s mind. After all, he has planned an altitude training camp in July to prepare for the Olympic Games in Paris. One does not want to deviate from that preparation.

Jasper Stuyven (Lidl-Trek) also still hopes and aims for the Giro after his broken collarbone in the same Dwars door Vlaanderen.

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