Wout van Aert will not take the start at Sunday’s Belgian National Championships road race in Binche after falling ill the night before the race. His team, Visma-Lease a Bike, confirmed the news on Sunday morning, citing a medical evaluation that led to his withdrawal.
Van Aert, who won the Belgian title in 2021, had skipped the time trial earlier in the week but was scheduled to ride the 230km road race on one of the most prestigious and demanding national championship circuits in the calendar.
“Unfortunately, Wout van Aert is not feeling 100% fit and will therefore not start in today’s Belgian Championship,” the team said. “Wout developed symptoms of illness on Saturday evening, and following a medical evaluation this morning, the decision was made to withdraw from the race.”
The illness is not expected to impact his participation at the Tour de France, which begins next Saturday in Lille. Van Aert’s next race appearance is still scheduled to be stage 1 of the Tour, where he will return to action for the first time since completing the Giro d’Italia four weeks ago.
Van Aert is part of Visma-Lease a Bike’s Giro-Tour double strategy for 2025, with his role in France expected to involve supporting defending champion Jonas Vingegaard while also pursuing stage wins. He currently has nine Tour de France stages to his name and is aiming to become a double-digit stage winner in July.
His absence from the Belgian Championships comes on a weekend when virtually all Belgian WorldTour riders are expected to compete unless injured or ill. The Binche start list remains deep, with Tim Merlier, Jasper Philipsen and outgoing champion Arnaud De Lie all among the pre-race favourites.
