Can Wout van Aert still race Giro d'Italia? Report suggests Visma rider wants to stick with original plan

Cyclists, including Wout van Aert himself, have proven in the past to have amazing recovery skills at times. Wout van Aert suffered multiple and heavy injuries at Dwars door Vlaanderen, but it is possible that five weeks after he will already be at the start of the Giro d'Italia.

This is reported by Het Laatste Nieuws, who write that the Belgian's recovery is for the time being quite good, the pain he is feeling is no longer from the fractures he suffered - in the sternum, collarbone and three ribs - but instead from the road rash suffered during the high-speed crash.

Van Aert originally set out to race the cobbled classics until Paris-Roubaix, take a small rest period and go on an altitude camp ahead of the Giro. The classics were removed out of the equation, but it is still possible that he can return to competition in Italy if his recovery continues at a high pace.

Not being a contender for the overall classification, it is not crucial for the Belgian to start the race in his best form, but can instead grow during it. He will have a leadout role for Olav Kooij in the sprints which also ensures less responsibility to attain the results for himself; whilst for himself he may catch on later in the race.