"I start to feel a little bit like myself again" - Wout van Aert's first message since brutal Dwars door Vlaanderen crash

Wout van Aert crashed at high-speed at Dwars door Vlaanderen and suffered a broken collarbone, sternum and several ribs. The brutal fall ended his spring campaign, but the Team Visma | Lease a Bike rider does not let his spirits down and thanked all the support in a lengthy message on Instagram.

"9 days post surgery and I start to feel a little bit like myself again. I hope to be back on my bike soon but at this moment a full recovery of my wounds and broken bones has my absolute priority," he wrote. "I am grateful for the extra time I get to spend with my loved ones. I want to thank everyone that took care of me after my crash; my wife, kids, family, friends, team, the doctors, nurses, therapists…"

After months of preparation, the Belgian is still trying to enjoy a little mental rest after his injuries, current in a resort with his family before thinking of returning to the bike. We do not know yet know when that may be, but the Dutch team is hopeful that he can resume training at some point before the Giro d'Italia; if so, he could well still race the Corsa Rosa as he looks to maintain the focus on his Olympic Games preparation.

"But I can’t point out enough how overwhelming the support is from all of you. I never received more messages, presents, mails," he admits. "This made me smile more and suffer less. Thank you x1000."