Wout van Aert crashed at the Dwars door Vlaanderen and suffered fractured collarbone, ribs and sternum. This ultimately took him out of the cobbled monuments and the Giro d'Italia, a huge disappointment for Team Visma | Lease a Bike. Now however, the Belgian rider returns to racing at the Tour of Norway.
"It hasn't always been easy sitting on the sidelines, but fortunately, I can now look ahead again", van Aert said in a press release issued by the team. "I am looking forward to pinning on a race number again. I have been able to train more and more in recent weeks, but it is still different from racing. So, my main goal is to test myself and see how I do in a race. Without any expectations."
Almost two months after the crash, van Aert returns to competition. In Norway he will find a modest field in which he may be competitive if he's got competitive form; but he starts the race without expectations.
"It's great to have Wout back in the team after his crash. He starts without any pressure to perform," team DS Merijn Zeeman added. "This is a good moment for him to test himself in competition again. We don't know yet what the rest of his race schedule will look like. We will see in the coming weeks. We are taking things one step at a time. That has proven to be the best way to recover"
Van Aert is aiming for race the Olympic Games this year as a big goal for the season and, after his absence from the Giro d'Italia, a Tour de France participation is very much on the table. The presence of Jonas Vingegaard in the team is not a certainty as well, which could affect the decision on van Aert. The race takes place from the 23rd to 26th of May.
Team Visma | Lease a Bike for Tour of Norway:
Wout van Aert
Bart Lemmen
Koen Bouwman
Tijmen Graat
Menno Huising
Per Strand Hagenes
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