Wout van Aert was still searching for answers — and found them immediately on his comeback

Missing the Tour de France was a major disappointment for Wout van Aert. A crash on his time-trial bike during training forced him to sit out La Grande Boucle, but the Belgian rider from Visma | Lease a Bike has returned with a bang. Van Aert won the opening stage of the Tour of Denmark immediately, despite also crashing earlier in the day.

Van Aert went down on his time-trial bike in June and injured his elbow. He was still able to compete in the Tour Auvergne–Rhône-Alpes and even won a stage there, but he had to leave the race one day later. Further examinations showed that the damage to his arm was considerably worse than initially thought, which also ruled him out of the Tour de France. It was a major blow for both Van Aert and his team.

He returned to competition at the Tour of Denmark, almost two months after the crash. “I’m doing well,” he told VTM Nieuws before the start. “It was quite a setback in June, especially because I missed the Tour. At times, I also enjoyed not being there because it remains such a hectic race. It has been a completely different month of July for me. But ideally, you simply want to be there at the Tour.”

“But I have been able to train well over the past month, so I’m looking forward to racing again,” he continued. Although Van Aert was excited about making his comeback, he remained cautious about his condition. “Training is always different. I felt good there and I feel fit, but we are here to find out where I stand. I hope to get some answers here in Denmark, in a race at a slightly lower level. It is a good place to get started again.”

Alongside Christophe Laporte, Van Aert was expected to form a two-pronged leadership team, immediately placing Visma | Lease a Bike among the leading favourites. “There is no point pretending otherwise, but we still have to prove ourselves,” Van Aert said before the race. “Christophe and I have both won this race before, so we are returning with good memories. It will probably be decided in the third stage, and that is where our legs will have to do the talking.”

Van Aert’s legs did the talking before the race had even reached that decisive third stage. The opening stage began badly for the Belgian when a large part of the peloton crashed with around 70 kilometres remaining. The 31-year-old was among the riders caught up in the incident. He was able to remount, but his group faced a significant chase to regain contact with the front of the race. Eventually, Van Aert and the other delayed riders succeeded in closing the gap.

In the finale, Van Aert initially appeared to have missed the decisive move, but a huge effort allowed him to bridge across to a dangerous leading group. Laporte then completely emptied himself on the front for his teammate, setting Van Aert up for the sprint. The returning Belgian expertly finished off the team’s work, beating Lukas Kubis and Henrik Pedersen to the line. Van Aert had travelled to Denmark looking for answers about his form; with a crash, a powerful chase and an immediate victory, he found them sooner than anyone could have expected.

The fact that Van Aert won right away in his first race after his elbow injury puts him in good spirits. “Although I’ve had to come back from injuries before, you never know how your opponents will be in form,” he told DR after his victory. “I got some good answers today, so I’m very happy.” In the general classification, the Belgian now holds a 4-point lead over Lukas Kubis (Unibet Rose Rockets).

The leader of Visma | Lease a Bike had to make a strong comeback twice. First, he crashed, and in the final stretch, he wasn’t part of the leading group. Thanks to teammate Laporte, however, anything was still possible. “Laporte was riding at the front and in control. I saved my best effort for the final climb. The last 5 kilometers were tough, but it was all worth it.”