2024 crashes still painful for Wout van Aert: "Those parts of my body still require attention every day"
Cycling
Fractured sternum, ribs and collarbone. After the massive bad luck of puncturing at the 2023 Paris-Roubaix, in the last race before the 2024 Tour of Flanders Wout van Aert was part of a brutal racing crash. Almost one year has passed by but the Team Visma | Lease a Bike rider still feels the effects of the high-speed incident at Dwars door Vlaanderen that affected several others.
“In the second half of the Dendermonde cross, I had a bit of trouble with my right leg, but not to the point where I had to slow down,” the Belgian said in an interview with Het Laatste Nieuws. “I can still feel my knee every day, and even my back and ribs from that crash in March.” He also tells that he feels the knee which he injured in a crash at the Vuelta a España, where a deep wound had him in the hospital for several days.
“Those parts of my body still require attention every day, so I am very happy that my body can handle such a mud cross, because clambering through mud up to your ankles is really a strain on your body. I also learned this weekend that it is definitely not bad in terms of fitness.”
Having won in Dendermond with a massive lead, it was perhaps the final test on the Belgian's body, perhaps at a good time for him as Mathieu van der Poel is out of competition over a rib injury. He is not scheduled to race the World Championships, but in Maasmechelen (the one remaining race where both should take part in) if the Belgian is able to take the win, he could possibly reconsider it.
“Let alone on a course where there is so much walking. I worked very hard with the physio to have a body that I can fully rely on again. It is very satisfying to see that confirmed in the cyclocross," he adds. Van Aert should start his season at the Clàsica Jaen Paraiso Interior on the 17th February.
“I am back, and that is good for my confidence. Also for what is yet to come. Ultimately, the cyclocross is a way station in the winter in which we wanted to see how far I had come. That appears to be at a good level already. It gives courage to continue working hard towards what is yet to come.”
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😱 A huge crash in the leading group has taken down a number of favourites, including Wout van Aert, Mads Pedersen and Biniam Girmay, at Dwars door Vlaanderen 💥🤕
— Eurosport (@eurosport) March 27, 2024
Sending our best wishes to the riders who were involved in the crash. pic.twitter.com/hlfuZwhBZd
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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