Visma | Lease a Bike responds after Van Aert leaves Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes: “Not good news for the Tour”

Wout van Aert abandoned before the sixth stage of the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, just one day after winning stage five. The Belgian rider from Visma | Lease a Bike is struggling with an elbow problem caused by a crash before the race. That has left the Dutch team seriously concerned. The Tour de France is fast approaching, and the situation has suddenly created plenty of anxiety.

Van Aert sprinted impressively to victory in Villars-des-Dombes. He beat Hugo Hofstetter (NSN) and Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain Victorious) with a long sprint, taking a win at a very welcome moment. The stage race had not gone entirely to plan because of the elbow injury he suffered in a training crash, but after that victory, things appeared to be moving in a much more positive direction.

Still, after the stage, Van Aert admitted that his elbow was starting to trouble him more and more. The 31-year-old from Herentals felt significant pain, especially on the descents. “I had more trouble than in previous days,” he said after his victory. It clearly only got worse, because Van Aert did not start stage six.

Teammate Ben Tulett responded to the Belgian’s withdrawal when speaking to IDL ProCycling. “It is very disappointing that Van Aert is not at the start today. He is still suffering from his crash in training a few days ago. It is a shame for him, but it is positive that he managed to win the stage yesterday. We should not take that away from him. He is continuing his preparation for the Tour de France in the best possible way.”

It is a major setback for Van Aert, but also for Visma | Lease a Bike. “We went from low to high, and now from high back to low again,” sports director Maarten Wynants told Het Laatste Nieuws. “Wout was obviously happy with the stage win, but he was also disappointed. This is just the next thing that has come his way. With Wout, there is always something,” he laughed. “But he will be able to process this as well.”

“During yesterday’s stage, it started bothering him again, especially on the descents. Afterwards, it got even worse. That is quite strange. Maybe there is something in his body that he is fighting against.” The Visma | Lease a Bike leader is returning to Belgium for further examinations. But his compatriot did not hide his concern. “The ultrasound will provide more clarity. But is this not good news for the Tour de France? That is correct.”

Under normal circumstances, Van Aert is expected to be on the start line of the Tour de France, which begins on July 4 in Barcelona with a team time trial. Whether he will now be there is something the Dutch team cannot say. “The most important thing is that Wout can recover now,” Wynants said. “The planning will be made depending on how quickly he gets back on the bike.”

Author: David Bavin-Hobbs - [email protected]