Wout van Aert Is Officially Out of the 2024 Giro d’Italia
Wout van Aert has officially announced that he won’t be starting the Giro d’Italia after breaking his collarbone and several ribs at last month’s Dwars door Vlaanderen. The Belgian from team Visma-Lease a Bike made the announcement this morning via Twitter.
“I lot of injuries are quite good at the moment, but my ribs are still a limiting factor. At this point, I cannot train at all,” said Van Aert in the video. “I’m trying to do my first pedal strokes on the bike, but [it is] not enough to be able to train. That’s why we made the decision not to start the Giro d’Italia.”
“I’m really disappointed to miss my second big goal of the season. But I need to prioritize my health and give my body the time to recover,” Van Aert added.
Message from @WoutvanAert ❤️ pic.twitter.com/XNJWqg6QoF
— Team Visma | Lease a Bike (@vismaleaseabike) April 11, 2024
Van Aert has already missed the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. He will also be missing at the start line of the Amstel Gold Race this Sunday, April 14.
Van Aert’s appearance at Dwars door Vlaanderen was his first since racing it in 2018—a change to his usual Classics build-up to the Tour of Flanders.
The crash, which happened with 67 kilometers left in the Belgian semi-classic, also affected Biniam Girmay (Intermaché-Wanty), Jasper Stuyven, and Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), though it seems Van Aert suffered the most brutal of injuries (Stuyven also broke a collarbone and underwent surgery). Those injuries included a broken sternum, several broken ribs, and a broken collarbone.
The day after the crash, his team tweeted that Van Aert underwent successful surgery. The tweet also said what everyone feared: Wout van Aert’s spring season was finished.
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