Visma | Lease a Bike heads to the Giro without Wout van Aert: "This is a big disappointment"

Wout van Aert won't be participating in the Giro d'Italia. The decision was announced by the Belgian cyclist himself on Visma | Lease a Bike's Instagram channel. Van Aert is still recovering from a nasty fall during the Dwars door Vlaanderen.

"I'm really happy to tell you that I'm doing well," he shared in a video message. "I'm recovering from all my injuries at the moment. After my crash in Dwars door Vlaanderen, a lot of injuries are healing well, but my ribs are still a limiting factor. At this point, I cannot train at all. I'm trying to do my first pedal strokes on the bike, but it is not enough for serious training. That is why we made the decision to not start in the Giro d'Italia. I'm really disappointed to also miss out on my second big goal of the season. But at this point, I need to prioritize my health, and I need to give my body the time to recover."

What is next for Van Aert?

Just over two weeks ago, Van Aert crashed during a descent toward the Kanarieberg in Dwars door Vlaanderen, and he wasn't the only one. Mads Pedersen, Jasper Stuyven, Alex Kirsch and Biniam Girmay, among others, were also badly hurt in the crash. Van Aert was devastated, both physically and mentally, realizing that all his preparation for his major goals, the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, was for naught. In that mass crash, he broke several ribs, his sternum, and his collarbone. He was quickly taken to the hospital in Herentals for surgery, where they found he also had a bruised lung. Though Van Aert has been updating on his recovery through Strava activities and Instagram posts, it is still unclear when he will rejoin the peloton.

With his withdrawal from the Giro, Van Aert says he is also missing his second big goal of the season. He was supposed to be the lead-out for Olav Kooij, but now that responsibility shifts to European Champion Christophe Laporte, who hasn't had the best spring either. Van Aert had initially skipped the Tour, but given Jonas Vingegaard's severe crash, those plans might change. Van Aert had planned to use the Vuelta to gear up for the road racing Olympics, but it is still up in the air whether that will happen. More updates are likely on the way.