Major blow for Wout van Aert: Belgian unable to start Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

“Sadly, Wout van Aert will not be able to start in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad on Saturday, as he has fallen ill,” the Dutch squad announced via social media. “The winner of the 2022 edition will take his time to recover.”

Van Aert was understandably disappointed to miss his first race of the road season after a winter geared towards the Classics. “Obviously it’s a big blow for me to miss out on my first race, having prepared all winter for the classics season,” he said. “We had a good training camp in Sierra Nevada and I felt very strong. But unfortunately, this is also the time of year when it’s easy to get sick.”

Despite the setback, the Visma leader remains optimistic about what he felt in training. “I’m staying positive about how I was feeling in training and I’m confident I’ll be able to race again soon — just not this Saturday,” Van Aert added. Visma | Lease a Bike will replace Van Aert in the line-up with Italian neo-pro Pietro Mattio.