One year after his magical Tour de France victory, Wout van Aert announces where he will return to racing
CyclingSunday, 26 July 2026 at 09:13
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Follow us on GoogleWout van Aert has added a new race to his calendar, exactly one year after he claimed the stage victory in Paris at the 2025 Tour de France. The Belgian rider from Visma | Lease a Bike was sidelined for a while with elbow inflammation, which forced him to miss the Tour de France. He’ll be back in action at the end of July, according to HLN.
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Thanks to Van Aert, the lull after the Tour will be a little shorter, as we can tune in to the Tour of Denmark on Wednesday, July 29. That’s where Van Aert will make his comeback, after being forced to withdraw from the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes due to the aforementioned elbow injury.
He had sustained that injury during training, but Van Aert saw the wound become infected during the French stage race. A day after his stage victory in Stage 5, Van Aert was forced to withdraw and ended up in the hospital due to an infection in the wound.
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Van Aert won Stage 5 of the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, but had to withdraw the next day.
Van Aert to return at the Tour of Denmark
Once he had recovered, Van Aert headed to Livigno, where he worked on regaining his form. The Tour of Denmark, scheduled for July 29 through August 2, is intended to serve as a competitive warm-up before Van Aert begins the Vuelta a España in Monaco on August 22.
The 2024 Vuelta was a huge success for Van Aert, but—while he was wearing the stage, points, and mountains jerseys at the time—it also left him with a serious knee injury following a crash. As a result, he did not finish his first Vuelta a España. He competed in the Giro d’Italia once, in 2025.
Missing the Tour de France meant his first summer off since 2018. From 2019 through 2025, he competed in the Tour every year. After the Tour of Denmark and the Vuelta, we’ll also see Van Aert at the World Championships in Canada.
On Sunday, Van Aert will watch Stage 21 of the Tour—undoubtedly with gritted teeth—as the race winds through Montmartre in Paris, where he won last year.
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David Bavin-HobbsChief Editor
David has been working in the sports & cycling industry for 16 years. Covering racing, business and technology, he has worked in communications for cycling companies, teams, and as a journalist. His proudest achievement is winning the first bike race he ever entered. He hasn't won a race since.
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