Wout van Aert has his first shower in weeks
Belgian superstar is on the mend after a brutal crash at Dwars door Vlaanderen
Wout van Aert’s recovery is coming along, albeit slowly. He’s since posted a few walks on Strava, the latter saying that he had his first shower in almost two weeks.
The Belgian was involved in a horrific crash at Dwars door Vlaanderen on March 27.
The incident injured favourites van Aert, Jasper Stuyven and Biniam Girmay. The crash came soon after the Berg Ten Houte climb. With crosswinds at play and Lidl-Trek massed at the front, splits appeared in the field, and the climb itself further streamlined the group. The big crash involved about a dozen riders with 68 km to go.
Dwars door Vlaanderen chaos
Van Aert’s skin suit was torn apart, and his agonized cries were unsettling as he was placed into an ambulance. Stuyven, Girmay, and Michele Gazzoli from Astana also withdrew from the race. This was the second crash for Wout van Aert in a week. He struggled after a crash on the Paterberg during the E3 Saxo Classic.
However, his injuries from the crash at Dwars door Vlaanderen were multiple: a broken collarbone, fractured ribs, sternum, and severe road rash. The Visma – Lease a Bike rider is now on the mend, having posted a few walks on Strava. On Monday, he walked 5.5 km in his hometown, Herentals, saying that he had his, “first shower in 12 days.
Van Aert hope to be back on bike soon
An Instagram post on Sunday also seemed to be positive. Van Aert said he was beginning to feel like himself again.
“I hope to be back on my bike soon but at this moment a full recovery of my wounds and broken bones has been my absolute priority,” his post began. “I can’t point out enough how overwhelming the support is from all of you. I never received more messages, presents and mail. This made me smile more and suffer less.”
Given that he has just begun his recovery, it’s still unclear when van Aert will be racing again.
Grischa Niermann from Visma – Lease a Bike has since given a few updates about van Aert, following Dwars door Vlaanderen.
“It’s too early to think about the future,” Niermann said. “Van Aert is doing okay, but he still has a lot of problems after the crash, the operation and the abrasions.
Van Aert’s teammate Tiesj Benoot initially thought he may have caused the crash, but was later informed it was not his fault.
“Matteo Jorgenson saw it happen and Wout’s explanation was also different from what I thought. Without clear images you can’t be sure, but with all the stories I can form a picture of what happened,” he said. “You ride to a point together and no one wants to brake. That’s when accidents sometimes happen. Wout doesn’t really know what happened, but he was hyper-focused and he would find it strange if he had hit my rear wheel. He had the feeling that his bike was suddenly gone from under him.”
