Wout Van Aert is back on the bike after illness and should be ready for the European Championship time trial: “Missed a few training days, but they were not crucial”

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Wout van Aert (29) has arrived at the Belgian European Championship selection in Emmen. The Belgian leader has been ill in recent days, but should have recovered just in time for Wednesday’s time trial. “I expect Wout to be fit,” says national coach Sven Vanthourenhout.

Wout van Aert is training again. After four days of radio silence, he posted another training ride on Strava on Sunday morning, under the telling name ‘Back on track’ (back on track, ed.) Forty-seven kilometers, at an average of thirty-three kilometers per hour. The attached emojis made it clear that the health problems in recent days were located in the stomach and intestines.

On Monday, Van Aert added another ninety-six kilometers. From Herentals to Antwerp and back, in the company of Jan Bakelants. “Wout really stayed off the bike for a day or two,” says national coach Sven Vanthourenhout. “These were not crucial training days, but of course illness is never the ideal scenario. Recovery always takes energy.”

Will Van Aert be ready for Wednesday’s time trial? Vanthourenhout is optimistic: “I expect Wout to be fit. I know that he was able to do what he had to do in terms of training for both the road race and the time trial. He hasn’t had the same intense preparation as for a World Cup, but he should certainly be competitive. I don’t want to be negative. I rely on the Tour of Britain where Wout was in good shape and also felt mentally fresh.”

In normal circumstances, Van Aert remains unchanged leader for Sunday’s road race, although he shares that role with Arnaud De Lie. “I just explored the run-up to the local round,” says Vanthourenhout. “We are going to have a nervous, chaotic race, where two leaders are only an added value. We are going to have a very thinned out group, I don’t expect a sprint of ten or fifteen people. Hopefully there will be two more of us.”

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What happens if that best-case scenario plays out? Can De Lie and Van Aert each ride their own sprint in a group that goes to the finish? “No,” says Vanthourenhout, “A choice will always be made. Which cannot be estimated in advance. I have a clear idea of ​​where the cards are at the moment, but the price can always decide differently. We are going to make good agreements with two honest guys who know that they will often compete in championships together in the future.”

Van Aert will have to do without his regular lieutenant Nathan Van Hooydonck in the road stage, who was replaced in the selection by Florian Vermeersch after heart problems. “Florian was already in the picture before Nathan dropped out,” said Vanthourenhout. “He was balanced with a number of other riders for his specific role. He was particularly strong in Canada and on Saturday (in the Super 8 Classic, ed.) he was one of the trendsetters of the race. I also know his attitude: Florian is a great guy to work with and certainly an added value for the group.”

2023-09-19 01:00:00
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