Cycling
Wout van Aert’s spring has come to an abrupt end in Dwars door Vlaanderen. He had a serious fall together with other top athletes such as Mads Pedersen and Jasper Stuyven, breaking his collarbone and several ribs.
Wednesday, March 27, 2024 at 5:54 PM
“We win, but the loss is much greater.” No smiling faces at the team bus of Team Visma-Lease a bike after Dwars door Vlaanderen. There, despite Matteo Jorgenson’s victory, they already saw the dark clouds hanging. Research showed that Wout van Aert broke his collarbone and several ribs in a heavy fall 70 kilometers from the finish. His spring is over, so no Tour of Flanders or Paris-Roubaix.
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In the descent towards Kanarieberg, a group of riders crashed at high speed. Main victim: Van Aert, who was writhing in pain. Biniam Girmay, Jasper Stuyven, Mads Pedersen and Gianni Vermeersch were also on the asphalt. Van Aert immediately grabbed his collarbone and was badly grazed on his shoulder and back. Tears flowed from the leader of Visma-Lease a Bike. Just like Stuyven, second in the E3 Harelbeke last week, he was taken away in an ambulance.
“We were working on the lead-out for the Kanarieberg and they asked me to speed up,” Van Aert’s teammate Tiesj Benoot testified about the crash in question. “I think Wout stood up and then touched my rear wheel. I actually feel pretty bad about it.”
Stuyven also breaks collarbone
Van Aert had also crashed last Friday in the E3 Saxo Classic, when climbing the Paterberg. He was left with several wounds on his right side, near the hip and elbow. The bad luck for the troubled Visma-Lease a Bike continues. Earlier in the match, Van Aert’s teammate Jan Tratnik also had to retire.
Mads Pedersen, the winner of Gent-Wevelgem on Sunday, did get on his bike, but also left the race a little later. And so next weekend’s Tour of Flanders already seems to have been decapitated. The win in Waregem ultimately went to Matteo Jorgenson. Van Aert’s teammate almost crashed himself and tried to encourage him in his flash interview.
“It was a very nasty crash, I knew immediately that we had lost Wout because we were driving so fast. Tiesj and I continued with the plan, because it was still racing. However, my thoughts were and are with Wout and the others involved. Will I now become leader in the Tour? Let’s hope not.”
The classic spring is also over for Jasper Stuyven. Just like Wout van Aert, he suffered a broken collarbone in the same fall. The Tour of Flanders already seems to have been completely decapitated.
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