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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Latest Comments
- - Bravo Anders! Norsk mester trøye in Le Tour, helt rått — goosebumps. Congrats to Uno-X for sticking by their guy.cyclechamp4526-07-2026
- - Not sure the piece needed the author’s personal anecdote in the middle. Felt a bit self-insert. Would’ve liked more detail on his specific rehab blocks and power numbers instead.robert6526-07-2026
- - Massive respect. That botched first surgery sounds grim, yet he still made the Tour and finished. Also, his positioning work for the sprinters this season has been underrated — textbook lead-out craft.bikebuffj26-07-2026
- - Quick question: how common is it for riders to get hardware (screws) removed after healing? Does it usually make that big a difference in performance or was his case unique?andrewf26-07-2026
- - What a ride from Skaarseth. From E3 crash carnage to Paris in the Norwegian champ jersey — that’s pure Viking resilience. Uno-X backing him through two surgeries and two years is proper team culture.samanthak26-07-2026
- - Renshaw’s take is spot on: if teams aren’t defending green, they’ll collaborate to control MVDP. But Pogacar lurking with those legs after the Tour he’s had… madre mía, esto va a ser fuego.jeremya25-07-2026
- - I miss the pure sprinter parade on the Champs. Merlier types basically locked out now. Rewarding the fast men after three weeks used to mean something.andrewf25-07-2026
- - Van der Poel owes Paris one after the pneumonia and the Olympic heartbreak. If the green jersey fight is settled, the peloton marking him could actually open the door for Pedersen or Evenepoel to counter. Proper chess on the cobbles.patriciaw25-07-2026
- - Not sure I get the change: article says the top of the climb was 6 km from the finish last year but now it’s extended to 10 km? Wouldn’t that make a regroup more likely and help sprinters a bit?julien25-07-2026
- - Loved the Montmartre inclusion last year and can’t wait for round two. This finish finally gives classics guys a proper shot in Paris. MVDP vs Pog vs Remco vs Pedersen… yes please.pedalpowe2925-07-2026
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