Published on March 27, 2024 at 4:06 p.m. Aurélie Sacchelli
68 kilometers from the finish of the Belgian classic A Travers la Flanders, a big fall brought many favorites to the ground, notably Wout Van Aert, hit in the shoulder. The Belgian will not be able, barring a miracle, to take part in the Tour of Flanders on Sunday.
Traditionally contested on the Wednesday preceding the Tour of Flanders, the Belgian classic “A Travers la Flandre” is a sort of dress rehearsal before the “Ronde”. This was the case this year for Wout Van Aert, Mads Pedersen, Biniam Girmay and Jasper Stuyven, who started this 188 kilometer race on Wednesday morning to warm up before the second Monument of the season. But they suffered a heavy fall 68 kilometers from the finish, and some were unable to get back on the road. At the head of the peloton, a Lidl-Trek rider was the first to go to the ground, and dragged nine other cyclists into his fall. Jasper Stuyven was the one who seemed most affected at first, because he remained for long seconds without moving, but then it was the cries of Wout Van Aert that attracted attention. Sitting on the road, the yellow and black Visma-Lease a Bike jersey completely torn at the back, the Belgian was in pain. A few minutes later, an ambulance arrived with a stretcher, and it could be seen that the right shoulder of the green jersey of the Tour de France 2022 was affected.
Five abandonments following this fall
Forced to retire, Wout Van Aert will not be at the start of the Tour of Flanders (which he has never won but where he finished second in 2020) on Sunday, barring an improbable miracle. His presence at Paris-Roubaix on April 7 also seems strongly compromised, even if we will have to wait for his team’s medical bulletin to find out more. The Belgian must also start the Giro on May 4, but will he be able to? In addition to Wout Van Aert, Jasper Stuyven (Lidl-Trek), Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty), Alex Kirsch (Lidl-Trek), Harry Sweeny (EF Education EasyPost) and Michele Gazzoli (Astana Qazakstan) were also forced to abandonment following this fall, i.e. half of the runners who went to the ground.
