Wednesday, September 4, 2024 at 10:09 AM
A first relief for Wout van Aert: the Belgian did not sustain any fractures from his crash in the sixteenth stage of the Vuelta a España. But what does this say about his further rehabilitation? Can Van Aert, for example, still prepare himself in time for the World Championships? Kris Vandermieren, sports doctor at the Belgian cycling association, gives his view on the matter.
“Wout van Aert has no fractures from his fall in the Vuelta a España,” his employer Visma | Lease a Bike already came with reassuring news. “The three-time stage winner had to withdraw due to severe knee pain from a deep wound. This requires intensive care. Wout will travel back to Belgium to continue his recovery there.”
How long his recovery will take is not yet known at this time. It is therefore still unclear whether Van Aert can defend his chances at the upcoming international championships – with the European Championships and the World Championships. How does Vandermieren view this? “It all depends on what exactly is damaged,” he begins in conversation with Sporza.
“I can’t say anything specific about Wout’s wound, but in general we often see that with cyclists. A skin wound develops, then you have to check whether the kneecap has been hit. But in between there is also the tendon tissue, which is subjected to enormous forces with cyclists.”
Healing in three steps
“That has to heal, there is no way around it,” says Vandermieren. “That healing takes place in three steps. First and foremost, everything has to be cleared away. Secondly, new tissue has to be created and thirdly, that tissue has to become stronger in turn.”
Participation in the European Championships (15 September) now seems like a utopia, but is the World Championships (29 September) still an option? “If it is only the skin, it will be fine. If the tendon tissue is also affected, it will take a bit longer to regenerate all those fibres and get them to the level of a top cyclist. In the latter case, we are quickly talking about weeks to months. So in the first case, reaching the World Championships is not impossible. In the second option, Van Aert faces a longer rehabilitation,” the national doctor concludes.
