Wout van Aert made a small yet significant step in his recovery from a knee injury, which had forced him out of the Vuelta a España while he was leading both the points and mountains classifications. On 27th September, he walked 2.74 kilometres with his partner Sarah De Bie and proudly shared the achievement on Strava.
Van Aert had crashed on a wet descent during stage 16 to Lagos de Covadonga on 3rd September, resulting in a bruised bone near his knee. This injury abruptly ended his season, preventing him from competing in the UCI Road World Championships. It marked the second major setback for the Belgian cyclist this year. Earlier, a crash in March during Dwars door Vlaanderen had caused multiple fractures, ruling him out of the Spring Classics and the Giro d’Italia, which was supposed to be his main aim for the season.
Despite these challenges, Van Aert made a notable comeback in time for the Tour de France, although he did not secure any stage wins. He finished third in the opening stage and placed second in sprints on stages 12 and 13. His bronze medal in the Olympic Games time trial was a testament to his return to top form, and he went on to win three stages of the Vuelta a España before his unfortunate crash.
Last week, Van Aert shared with *Dernier Heure* the struggles of facing yet another rehabilitation. “I can take away a lot of positives from this season, I’ve won Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, finished third in Het Nieuwsblad and E3,” he said. “I think my form in the Vuelta was the best since the 2022 Tour de France. That’s all very important mentally and for further down the line.”
He further reflected, “It’s important to put everything in perspective. It’s not been my best season, and I’ve had a lot of setbacks. But I’m very proud of what I could achieve.”
In recognition of his accomplishments and potential, Visma-Lease a Bike extended an open-ended contract to Van Aert, allowing him to decide when to retire. “The team took the initiative and showed confidence in breaking open my contract,” he said last week. “For me, there was no doubt: I wanted to extend.”
“But I’ve also turned 30 in the meantime. Then you ask yourself the question: how long do I want to continue as a rider? That’s how we decided together not to put an end date on my career and to make a long-term commitment. I think that’s really cool and I’m very proud of it. I never have to worry about contracts or transfers again. I know the team and the way it works inside and out. From now on it’s just cycling for me.”
Main photo credit: Getty
