“It wasn’t for nothing that they decided this" - Wout van Aert's teammate offers Belgian advice after injury derails Tour de France
Cycling
After Wout van Aert's career-defining spring classics saw him finally get his hands on the Paris-Roubaix cobble trophy, it was full steam ahead for the Belgian and Visma | Lease a Bike. But despite realising their monument dream, the Tour de France train was abruptly derailed this week due to injury.
Van Aert suffered a training crash at the beginning of the month, and despite bouncing back with victory at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, his elbow wound became infected, he left the race and doubts emerged about his participation in the Tour de France.
As new details emerge, including that he underwent two surgeries and will be on antibiotics, it's become clear that both rider and team know van Aert would not be on the start line at Barcelona for some time. Furthermore, his teammate believes the team were aware of the grave situation quickly.
Offering his advice to van Aert, 39-year-old veteran Steven Kruijswijk admitted that it is a disappointment for van Aert, particularly given the Tour was his primary goal the past two months.
"That’s a shame, especially for him"
Kruijswijk told IDL Pro Cycling: “It wasn’t for nothing that they decided this, and that he disappeared from the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. That did show it was more serious than they may have expected.”
“It has such a big impact on his condition that he won’t be ready for the Tour in time. That’s a shame, especially for him. With the spring Wout rode, you can only be very satisfied.”
However, a seasoned veteran who has overcome multiple difficult injuries, the Dutch rider knows that these things happen. Kruijswijk's advice? dust yourself off and move forward.
He said: “That the Tour falls away once this year; unfortunate, but s**t happens. As a team, you can’t really do anything about it. I was looking at my own career recently too, and the longer it gets, the more time there is to deal with setbacks. You shouldn’t weigh it up too much and just look ahead again.”
Kruijswijk thinks van Aert can bounce back
"For Wout it will probably be alright, but it is just a bit too close to the Tour now.”
On Wednesday, van Aert's coach offered more insight on the injury: "Before the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, there was no reason to worry.
Read also
"But during the race, the wound wasn't healing properly, and Wout contracted a bacterial infection," Mathieu Heijboer shared following stage 1 of the Tour de Suisse in words to Het Laatste Nieuws.
What looked like a minor injury at the start of the race, which was not affecting his performance on the bike, continued worsening after he departed the race. Quickly it was learnt that he would not join the team at its altitude camp, and that a Tour de France presence would actually be at risk.
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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