"When I tried to move I felt that something was wrong..." - Wout van Aert recalls spring ending crash in new Team Visma | Lease a Bike documentary

Having entered this Spring Classics season with so much optimism, Wout van Aert's campaign was brought to a screeching halt by a nasty crash at Dwars Door Vlaanderen. In the new, 'Road to Resilience' documentary on the Team Visma | Lease a Bike YouTube page, the Belgian has reflected on said crash.

“At first it was of course quite a shock,” recalls van Aert of the crash that left him with a fractured collarbone, fractured rib(s) and a fractured sternum. “I wanted to get to the side of the road as quickly as possible. But when I tried to move I felt that something was wrong with my shoulder and hip. Yes, I was in a lot of pain until I was given strong medication in the hospital.”

“That first half hour was really terrible. They were already able to determine the collarbone fracture, but this was then confirmed by the photos. Then they thought my ribs had been hit a little too. And the next doctor came and said that I had broken seven of them. Shortly afterwards my sternum was also broken," continues the 29-year-old. "At that moment I was quite calm and I said to laugh: 'I hope there won't be too many more doctors, because there will only be injuries.'”

As mentioned, that crash turned out to be a season-altering one for van Aert. Not only did it end his spring, but also ruled him out of the upcoming Giro d'Italia. Just last week though, the Belgian posted video of himself back on the roads once again, ready to return later this summer for the Olympic Games and the World Championships.

“Considering all the circumstances, I'm doing quite well. In the last week I have become reasonably mobile again and can do the normal things in life. According to the people who guide me, my recovery is going well. It's a nice feeling to be able to put on the bib shorts again. Even though that was of course quite a task,” he laughs. “It is confronting that you were perhaps in one of the best conditions of your life and then suddenly you are thrown back to the worst possible condition. It's certainly nice to be a bit active again."