Why mentally broken Van Aert forced to end season despite having no fractures

Painful news came on Thursday afternoon: Wout van Aert will no longer compete this season, his team Visma | Lease a Bike announced in a social media post. The Belgian superstar crashed hard in the Vuelta a España on Tuesday, suffering a knee injury.

The three-time stage winner, after attempting for a while, had to give up because of severe pain coming from a deep wound in the knee. No fractures were found in the hospital before he received further treatment in Belgium. "Van Aert is still staying in the hospital in Belgium," a post on the Visma | LaB team site explained more. "There, he will receive intravenous antibiotics to reduce the risk of infection as much as possible. After that, he will rest to fully recover before carefully preparing again for next season."

In the days following the crash, the main question was whether Van Aert would be fit in time for his last (main) goals of the year, the European Championships (September 15), the World Championships (September 29) and the World Gravel Championships (October 6). So that question has now been answered, although, unfortunately, it is a sad answer. It was a hard blow for the team, Van Aert, his friends and family, and the large fan base. It was for the Visma leader, several websites have listed, his tenth crash of the year. A year which, for killer bees in general, can rightfully be called a year of bad luck or even disaster.

Visma | Lease a Bike has to pick Van Aert up once more

In addition to the physical damage, Van Aert's blow has also hit hard mentally, Visma | Lease a Bike director Richard Plugge told HLN. "It is unfortunate what happened to Wout. He was really at the top level, with three stage wins and a green jersey that was almost secured. And then this happens... He is doing well, but of course, he feels terrible. We are here for him, confident he will get through this. How fast his treatment will go, I don't know. We have to wait for the first few days. We are playing it safe and want to ensure everything goes in the right direction."

At the European Championships and World Championships, Van Aert wanted to perform one more time, but two more main goals can be crossed out. Earlier this year, he had already missed the Giro d'Italia after a crash that had significant consequences on Dwars door Vlaanderen. He returned to top form through the Tour de France and headed towards the Vuelta. "Again, this was a heavy blow for Wout, and we want to give him time. When he has recovered, he can take a vacation because his road season has been very intense," said Van Aerts manager Jef Van den Bosch.

Van Aert has to take antibiotics

Flemish Sporza sought contact with Van Aert's family doctor, Peter T'Seyen. He, too, notes that the Belgian is sitting there bewildered. "Mentally, Wout is having a hard time; at the moment, he does not want visitors, only his wife, and his boys. He decided to skip the European Championships close to home but still hoped for the World Championships cycling and gravel in his own country. Especially after his tough spring and with the form he was in. He felt like a rider again; for me, he was almost at the level of the Tour in 2022."

It wasn't meant to be, although they at Van Aert's staff are glad the physical damage didn't turn out to be worse. But doctor Steven Claes was able to determine that it was a deep wound. "So deep that Wout is still in the hospital to avoid an infection. It is not a superficial wound; the wound goes almost into the joint and is heavily contaminated. The risk of infection is too high. Therefore, antibiotics are helpful and necessary at this time. In the short term, he will be unable to train for several weeks, let alone compete. He must not take any risks with a view to the future."

"Wout is strong," he concluded. "I am sure that Wout will return at the very highest level, no matter how difficult he is now."