How is Wout van Aert’s broken ankle doing? Since his crash at the Zilvermeercross in Mol, this information has only been shared within a close circle around the three-time cyclocross world champion, but it has sparked speculation about his recovery timeline.
The French sports newspaper L'Equipe is pessimistic. It cites two sports doctors, with Tour physician Gilbert Versier believing that "after four to six weeks, the leg can bear weight again and walking is possible; after about six weeks, cycling on a stationary trainer can resume, sometimes as early as four weeks if the fracture is favorable." He expects Van Aert to return to competition only after three months. Groupama-FDJ doctor Mathieu Le Strat suggests a first training session after three weeks on the trainer and back on the road after two months.
The Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad has a completely different assessment. They see no panic within Van Aert’s entourage; according to the paper, he doesn’t seem too downcast. "The fact that he’s heading to Spain next week for the team training camp suggests he’ll be cycling again fairly soon," they say.
Team denies
The doomsday predictions from France are denied by Van Aert’s team Visma | Lease a Bike in an interview with the same newspaper. The recovery time is kept internal, but according to the team, it is not as long as L'Equipe reports.
When will we get clarity then? That will have to wait until January 13, during Visma | Lease a Bike’s team presentation in La Nucia, Spain, where the squad will be at their annual training camp.
