Wout van Aert Suffers Ankle Fracture and Ends his Cyclocross Season

Wout van Aert has sustained a small fracture and a sprain in his ankle after his crash in the Zilvermeercross in Mol. This means Van Aert's cyclocross season is over. This was reported by his team Visma | Lease a Bike in a brief statement.

Van Aert responds for the first time to the injury in a statement: “Of course, I am very disappointed to have to end my cyclocross season like this. I was feeling better and better, even today in Mol. I was really looking forward to the race in Zonhoven and the Belgian Championships. But my focus now is on recovery and later on preparing for the road season.”

On Saturday, the leader of Visma | Lease a Bike will undergo surgery, after which he will begin his recovery. It is still unclear how long Van Aert will be sidelined. If the recovery takes a long time, this injury could also affect his spring road program.

‘Wout was a bit startled because Mathieu had to make a small correction’
According to team director Jan Boven, the slippery conditions caused by the sudden snow showers in Mol were partly to blame for Van Aert’s crash. “In the end, it was quite different conditions. You do the reconnaissance in sunshine and dry weather, so you have to be able to switch gears to cope with these wild conditions during the race.”

“Ultimately, Mathieu slid away just before Wout, but that was not the cause of the crash itself. What did happen was that Wout was a bit startled because Mathieu, at least, had to make a small correction. And Wout reacted with a slight scare. He feels he made a small mistake there. It was definitely slippery there — in the previous lap Felipe Orts had already crashed in that corner.”

Physically, Van Aert rode his best cross of the winter. “The duel gave hope, no doubt. In Loenhout we were already close, but there Wout had two punctures, so we never really got to see that contest. But today, especially when Wout got back to the front in the race, he seemed comfortable. It’s a pity we couldn’t see the result,” said Boven on Friday after the cross in Mol.