"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
Cycling
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.”
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“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."
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- I agree, Johan Bruyneel made big mistakes, he was involved in the biggest doping scandal in the history of sports... BUT NEVERTHELESS... Bruyneels analysis on bike racing and cyclists is among the best. That's a fact... period!!! I love listening to Spencer Martin and Johan on WEDU, but I don't care about Armstrong and Hincapie. They are both american bull shi***s who like to exaggerate and talk nonsense.PogiSloFans13-11-2026
- the headline is poorly written too. it makes it sound like their plan is to simply wait until he stops.mij13-11-2026
- It doesnt take a genius to understand that Pogi is 1 level above and Pogi is younger that Jonas, so Jonas will not win under ordinary circumstances. Pogi has to crack hard for Jonas to win. It doesn't matter whether you defend Jonas or not , facts remain facts. Jonas himself says his numbers are better than 2022/2023, so Jonas is more or less optimized and we are just see the stochastic variation due to other factors. I think he will retire along with Pedersen in WC denmarkabstractengineer13-11-2026
- They only raced each other during the 2026 Tour, but here's a few metrics to look at. Stage 3 (Granollers to Les Angles): Pogačar won the stage, finishing 2 seconds ahead of Vingegaard (2nd). Del Toro finished 24 seconds behind Stage 6 (Pau to Gavarnie-Gedre / Col du Tourmalet): Pogačar won solo, Vingegaard finished 2nd (losing 2:38), and Del Toro finished 3rd (at +2:57, finishing 19 seconds behind Vingegaard). Here, Jonas Vingegaard outclimbed Isaac del Toro by 19 seconds on the mountain stageawp13-11-2026
- your clinging to the past. Jonas was dropped by del toro many times last year and jonas never managed a climbing numers del toro did in dauphine last year -entire year. Trend is also evident theres no discussion your living in the past, its beent he same with jonas for many years now and only developing, meanwhile del toro is rising and developing greatly. This is all obvious stuff and im not even a del toro fan. No point discussing numbers or this i suspect you dont watch much now but rather think its 2022 still cause this aint hard.miguel13-11-2026
- We can go through metrics if you like, Del Toro, who I do admire and support, is not on the same level as Jonas just yet. You will see that in early 2027 if they have any crossover races. I do hope they both race the Giro. You are correct though, Jonas is getting older and will not be able to hand on much longer. I see 2027 as a good year for him. Obviously behind Tadej though.awp13-11-2026
- What wins? Are you LA operating under a pseudonym?mij13-11-2026
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- Then you need to use ur eyes or head if you have cause del toro already dropped jonas two times and beat him in tdf stages already this year.. Del toro climbed(dauphine) better numbers than jonas did all year too. So ur feelings and wishful thinking doesnt amtter del toro himself has already surpassed jonas infact just facts. Its also very evident for anyone objective that Jonas is declining alot, its just the truth and super obvious.miguel13-11-2026
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