Cycling Olympic favorite suffers severe harm in horror crash

One of Belgium’s most prestigious highway biking races was marred by a severe crash that left Olympic favorite Wout van Aert with damaged collarbone and fractured ribs. 

Van Aert suffered a number of fractures after being introduced down together with a number of riders some 65 kilometres from the end of the Dwars door Vlaanderen one-day race on Wednesday.

The chief of the Visma-Lease a Bike workforce crashed simply forward of the climb of Berg ten Houte together with Biniam Girmay of Intermarche-Wanty and Mads Pedersen and Jasper Stuyven of Lidl-Trek. 

Van Aertm, the reigning Olympic highway race silver medallist and a podium favorite for the 2024 Olympics this summer season, may very well be heard screaming in ache as he lay on the bottom.

He was helped onto a stretcher and brought to the medical tent for X-rays, which revealed the extent of his accidents and dominated him out of the upcoming Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix and the Amstel Gold Race – three of the basic highway races which can be the staple of the biking calendar in March and April. 

Wout van Aert suffered a damaged collarbone and fractured ribs in a significant crash

The Belgian crashed 65km from the end of the Dwars door Vlaanderen on Wednesday

‘It is unclear how lengthy his restoration will take,’ the Visma workforce mentioned in an announcement. 

‘Van Aert will certainly miss the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix and the Amstel Gold Race.’

Stuyven additionally appeared to harm his collarbone within the crash, whereas Pedersen and Girmay didn’t seem to have main accidents.

Van Aert sat out the latest Paris-Nice and Milan-San Remo races, opting as a substitute for a three-week altitude camp with a purpose to peak for Sunday’s Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix on April 7.

The Belgian is extensively thought of one of many world’s finest and most versatile riders. 

The three-time cyclocross world champion can also be the winner of 10 phases and the factors classification on the Tour de France, together with the winner of such main races as Milan-San Remo, Strade Bianchi, Gent-Wevelgem and Amstel Gold Race.

Belgium has certified the utmost 4 riders for the highway race on the Paris Olympics, and two of these riders will participate within the time trial. Van Aert was on the lengthy record launched final 12 months together with Remco Evenepoel and a number of other different stars.

Van Aert was planning to skip the Tour de France, which ends simply earlier than the Paris Games, in order that he could be brisker for the Olympics. He as a substitute deliberate to race the Giro d’Italia in May, although these plans are actually in query after his crash.

During the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, van Aert was a part of a chasing group attempting to catch eventual winner Richard Carapaz at Fuji Speedway. 

Van Aert (circled) was introduced down as two riders in entrance of him collided at excessive velocity 

The huge crash concerned ten different riders, together with Biniam Girmay of Intermarche-Wanty and Mads Pedersen and Jasper Stuyven of Lidl-Trek

The group crashed simply forward of the climb of Berg ten Houte within the race

But the group was greater than a minute behind the Ecuadorian on the end, and van Aert was left to out-sprint a gaggle that included American rider Brandon McNulty and bronze medalist Tadej Pogacar for the silver medal.

Van Aert additionally competed within the particular person time trial in Japan, ending in sixth place however a mere 37 seconds out of the medals.

The Dwars door Vlaanderen was gained by Van Aert’s American workforce mate Matteo Jorgenson, winner of the Paris-Nice earlier this month, however his ideas had been with the Belgian.

‘It was a really nasty fall, I knew instantly that we had misplaced Wout,’ Jorgenson mentioned.

‘I hope everyone seems to be okay, and that I’m not the one remaining contender for the Tour of Flanders. We’ll see about that later.’