Van Aert opens up about crashes, recovery, and confidence: "It’s getting harder to get back up"

Wout van Aert soared in 2022, but in 2023 and 2024, he spent more time on the ground than competing for victories. Whenever he returned, he immediately found himself winning again, only for another setback to follow shortly after. In an interview with NRC, Van Aert spoke less about his physical misfortunes and more about the mental toll of repeatedly bouncing back. According to the Belgian, it hasn’t been easy.

COVID, flat tires, broken bones, and a knee injury—all these hurdles hit Van Aert over the past two seasons. At the time of the interview, he was once again recovering from physical adversity following a hard crash in the Vuelta a España. The Belgian fell during a descent, resulting in a serious knee injury. Even now, during the cyclo-cross season, the lingering effects are still visible.

Van Aert’s ability to get back up after a fall has been proven time and again. He is no stranger to adversity, and it’s not without reason that he has yet to claim his beloved Tour of Flanders or Paris-Roubaix. Sometimes, another rider was simply stronger, but more often, something went wrong in the lead-up or on race day itself. Despite these setbacks, he has achieved significant victories, including Tour and Vuelta stages, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, Strade Bianche, Milan-Sanremo, the E3 Saxo Bank Classic (twice), Gent-Wevelgem, and the Amstel Gold Race. However, his already impressive palmarès of 49 wins still lacks some key milestones.

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Van Aert was devastated after his crash in the Vuelta a España

Van Aert hit rock bottom following his crash in Flanders

The crash in the Vuelta was severe, but the one in Dwars door Vlaanderen in March was just as devastating. He suffered fractures to his collarbone, ribs, and sternum, which hit him hard. No Tour of Flanders, no Paris-Roubaix... "After my fall in the spring, I kept having problems with my ribs. At one point, I could train for three or four hours again. I felt fine while cycling, but afterward, I would be completely cramped up on the couch. In those moments, it’s hard to see that you’re cycling for fun."

His family supported him through the initial weeks, and having the Tour de France as a summer goal kept him motivated. "The first time back at training camp, the first race, working towards the Tour de France—that’s when I started to feel like an athlete again. That was what I missed the most. But you need patience for that, and I didn’t always find that easy."

For a body conditioned for high-level sports, wanting to push forward when it can’t is mentally challenging. "I’m so used to being active, and suddenly, all the endorphins that come with it were gone. Without that vital feeling, I quickly became unhappy. It’s strange to realize, but I felt like I was missing a part of my identity. It was a sort of illusion I struggled with: I wanted nothing more than to ride my bike, but when I finally could, it was incredibly disappointing."

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Van Aert was battered in Dwars door Vlaanderen

Visma | Lease a Bike helped Van Aert bounce back mentally

"Training with limitations is even more frustrating than doing nothing at all," says Van Aert. Ultimately, it wasn’t the Tour de France in the summer that helped him recover mentally, but rather the gesture from Visma | Lease a Bike. The Dutch team offered him a lifetime contract. "That was really special."

Van Aert admitted feeling guilty when the team approached him to discuss the contract. "I felt like I hadn’t been able to show my potential in 2023 and didn’t expect we’d be talking about a contract extension in the spring. Then, right as those talks started, I crashed. I thought, ‘Well, I guess it’s not going to happen anymore.’ But the fact that the team still came forward with such an offer really helped me. It gave me peace of mind and confidence."

During the Vuelta a España, Van Aert felt more relaxed again. "I was doing something unique with achieving those two jerseys, and I finally felt physically capable of doing what I wanted again," he recalls. And then came the next setback. According to Van Aert, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to keep getting back up after each blow. How will he overcome this one? "I hope I can do it by achieving good results in 2025. But mentally, I feel like I’ve been stuck for a long time."

Now, he’s working with the team to figure out how Visma | Lease a Bike can bounce back after a 2024 filled with heavy crashes. "Crashing sometimes has to do with confidence, and it doesn’t help when you’ve been hurled to the ground at 70 kilometers per hour and then have to ride back into the same chaotic peloton. As a team, we’re now looking into whether there’s something we can do about that."

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