Visma coach rules out Wout van Aert for World Cup and updates on his knee condition: "So far so good"
Cycling
The days left to see Wout van Aert compete again can be counted on the fingers of one hand. It will be this coming Monday, December 23 at the Zilvermeercross in Mol, where he will face the other expected comeback in the discipline, Mathieu van der Poel. One of the Belgian's trusted men, Visma | Lease a Bike coach Mathieu Heijboer, spoke to HLN and commented on the keys to his pupil's comeback.
What remains to be seen for Van Aert at the moment is how his knee is doing: "So far so good, but it has taken a long time," Heijboer said. "That we waited so long to communicate Wout's cyclocross program has not been a game with the media. We didn't make the decision until early December that the knee was safe enough to do some races. At the beginning of November, it still wasn't very clear. As far as I was concerned, at the beginning of November it was still 50 percent."
"Wout continued to suffer during recovery and after every intense stimulus on the bike," the trainer continued. "In addition to a fracture in the knee, the skin and tissue around that knee was also badly damaged, which made an intense load on the tendon tissue impossible."
"Only when Wout traveled to Spain in the second week of November was he able to complete his first intensive training sessions." Now van Aert is able to complete all training sessions again. The doctors also see no reason for permanent damage.
In any case, Heijboer doesn't dare to guess how Van Aert will do against the fierce competition: "We have to be honest about it: there is a gap compared to last winter. He's not in such good shape now. Now his winter has been all about rehabilitation. It's a different mentality and a different load than last year. He can certainly compete now, but it's not enough to expect great performances right away. He'll do it as a function of continuing to build toward the road season."
Above all, the Belgian will leave the World Cup aside. This prestigious race also doesn't fit well into the calendar towards the road season. "Wout could and would only race the World Cup if he has a real chance of winning the title. What if he suddenly wins several races? Even in that case, Wout won't race the World Cup," Heijboer said.
Read also
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- The likelihood of RE improving enough at this point to outclass TP or JV is less than zero.verve82521-12-2024
- That’s the most stupid thing I’ve read for a long time, did you not go to school and learn even the most basic physics? Aero depends on one thing only, drag, drag depends speed and the relationship is squared and apart from maybe at zero or the speed of sound or due to side winds that relationship is valid at all speeds, it dies not “suddenly” start at a magic number. Very simply, the faster you go the more the effect becomes important. If you think 25km/h is needed to have noticeable effects you’re delusional, athletic WR are cancelled as soon as winds top 2m/s that’s 7.2km/h, why because the assistance is already too important at that speed and the times prove it. You don’t even consider wind which can significantly increase the effective speed for aerodynamics and you underestimate speed of climbs, 6% is ridden more at 30 than 25km/h, a speed at which early generation high rims were considered to have more advantages than disadvantages. And finally, as in normal races you can’t just switch bikes according to terrain, it’s pretty pointless to discuss climbs as a separate situation, the aero will have justified itself plenty during the rest of the ride.Mistermaumau21-12-2024
- If you look at how much TP progressed in that 1 1/2 years you can no longer say that’s nothing. If Remco improves as much he’s a challenger!Mistermaumau21-12-2024
- Froome wishing to ride the Vuelta...he won't even be selected for the team!frieders320-12-2024
- Keep telling yourself that Remco but you not only have Tadeg to beat but Jonas!frieders320-12-2024
- Seems farfetched - I agree. Mas has beaten him once. Giro d'Emillia I think - 2022mobk20-12-2024
- Barring injuries, by the time Pogacar's dominance fads there will be lots of new young talent. Pogacar is about 1 1/2 years older than Remco. That's nothing.Sweep20-12-2024
- I actually don’t find that too impressive. In my later forties I did similar figures for a 3.5% gradient as a total nobody with no wind assistance. Am sure there’s margin for improvement there, especially looking at all the names on that list.Mistermaumau20-12-2024
- Jonas', was 6 years agospock12320-12-2024
- The race where he overnight suddenly turned nuclear after being packfodder at best for several years. His Sky days after that Vuelta and Pogačar’s last season shall remain the darkest post Lance stuff cycling has witnessed. Good riddance Froome.
UltimateOpportunist20-12-2024