Wout van Aert’s recovery faster than expected: “Almost no setback”

After his crash in the Zilvermeercross in Mol, it initially didn’t look good for Wout van Aert. The Belgian had to undergo surgery due to a fractured ankle, saw his remaining cyclocross races disappear, and his preparation for the road season seemed seriously compromised. However, his recovery is progressing very well.

This becomes clear from the words of his team director Jan Boven in an interview with WielerFlits, just hours before the start of the most important World Cup cyclocross races in Benidorm. "I’ve messaged and called Wout a few times, but from Mol onwards we already knew what had to be done."

"In the end, we had to cancel his cyclocross program. Skipping the World Cup race in Zonhoven was something Wout could still handle, but missing the national championships was really painful for him."

"You simply have no choice, and he was back on the bike fairly quickly. It’s definitely faster than expected because he was riding just three days after his surgery. The expectation was for him to start some trainer sessions after a week, but he has since done a six-hour training session in Spain. I spoke with him for a long time yesterday, and he just feels good."

"He can definitely look forward to the spring classics"
The 31-year-old rider from Visma | Lease a Bike can therefore prepare with confidence for his season debut in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and other key goals in the spring. "It also helps that his downtime was short," Boven explains. "He has hardly fallen behind and can definitely look forward to the spring classics."