Spotted on Strava: "Van Aert is ready", following a tough period of walking, mountain biking, and a training camp in Spain

The 29-year-old Van Aert had a long way to come back. Initially, he could only do some walking, and then soon after, news came that he would have to skip the Giro d'Italia. On April 23, a little over a month after the crash, we saw Van Aert back on a bike outdoors for the first time. From there, we turn to Strava to see what the all-rounder has been up to in recent weeks to be at least somewhat ready for the Tour of Norway. "Without expectations," Van Aert himself said towards the four-day stage race. But might he still surprise us?

As mentioned, Van Aert has come a long way. "It's confronting to go from one of the best conditions of your life to the worst," he said about it himself. However, even an hour of walking on April 3rd must have felt like a fortunate break. He racked up quite a few kilometers in the first two weeks of April until he could hit the trails on April 17th with a specially tailored Cervélo mountain bike. "Sorry to any colleagues I've ever given shit for having spacers under their stem," he referred to the higher handlebars, necessary because of his injuries. An overly sporty posture was not yet an option.

Using indoor rollers helped him get moving until April 23, when he was finally able to take his road bike outdoors again. "Nearly back to professional form," he quipped in his Strava post, after managing to ride 93 kilometers at an average speed of 33.2 km/h. Three days later, he added another 96 kilometers, this time with his good friend Jan Bakelants. He used his bike for a trip to the physiotherapist, and by the end of April, he had logged his first 100+ kilometer ride. In total, he clocked 640.7 kilometers in April over 23 hours and 52 minutes.

The workload ramped up in the first three weeks of May as his injuries continued to heal. 133.16 kilometers, 121.05 kilometers, 150.06 kilometers... His riding distances and time on the bike both increased. On May 8, Van Aert began a short training camp in Girona, Spain, where he caught up with his former teammate Amund Grøndahl Jansen. "Lost with a local guide," Van Aert captioned a 151.74-kilometer ride that included his first serious climbing session of 1,858 meters.

On May 9, Van Aert was allowed to ride out of the saddle again for the first time, relishing the ups and downs of a familiar climb. By May 13, he completed his first seven-hour training day, covering 216.57 kilometers and climbing 2,417 meters, averaging 30.8 km/h. That was beginning to look good. Grøndahl Jansen's comment after the May 16 training was a huge reassurance: "Wout is ready for the most important race of the year," he said, referring to the Tour of Norway, Van Aert's home race.

It was time to fly back to Belgium, where Van Aert spent the past few days putting the finishing touches on his preparation. He completed a ride behind a scooter on Monday to get back into race tempo. With 2,058.2 kilometers, 17,286 vertical meters, and nearly 64 hours on the bike, we're all eager to see which Wout van Aert will appear starting this Thursday!