CONFIRMED | Ankle fracture ends Wout van Aert's cyclocross season - "I was feeling better and better..."

We've seen it time and time again. Wout van Aert continues to be plagued by bad luck, and continuously have his battle to close the gap to Mathieu van der Poel be interrupted, and have the opposite effect. The Team Visma | Lease a Bike rider has crashed today at the Exact Cross Mol and suffered an ankle fractured which has ended his season.

“Of course I am very disappointed to have to end my cyclocross season like this,” Van Aert confirmed in a statement shared by the Dutch team “I was feeling better and better, including today in Mol. I was really looking forward to the race in Zonhoven and the Belgian Championships. But my focus will now be on recovery and, later on, the preparation of the road season.”

The Belgian has already started last cyclocross season later than planned due to illness, and continues to have his health put in jeopardy. In 2024 he suffered a spring-ending crash at Dwars door Vlaanderen; and a season-ending crash at the Vuelta a España, both of which led to serious injuries and months off the bike and recovering in total.

This season he fell ill right before the Giro d'Italia which severely hampered his chances of fighting for a pink jersey. The Belgian has seen Mathieu van der Poel skyrocket up the ranks over the past few years in terms of dominance in cyclocross and the road, with Van Aert being the only rider who could realistically challenge van der Poel.

For the first time this season, the World Champion actually looked to be under pressure in Mol, as the snowy conditions saw van Aert get back to him after an early attack. It wouldn't last. As soon as van der Poel looked to be under pressure, the one rival of his crashed in a slippery corner and landed badly with his foot. He continued his race for brief minutes before abandoning in the pit area, limping.

The worst news have been confirmed now by the Dutch team, confirming he sprained his ankle, but simultaneously suffered a fracture that will require surgery. With no doubt, some time off the bike, meaning the gap between the two will not be closed and Van Aert will once again be in a race against time to find his best form into the cobbled monuments. He is not racing the rest of his cyclocross calendar whilst van der Poel sees his way towards an eighth cyclocross world title paved ahead of him.