Fabian Cancellara, like the entire cycling world, sympathizes with the unfortunate Wout van Aert and knows all too well what he is experiencing now…
The Swiss crashed as top favorite during the Tour of Flanders in 2012 and, like Van Aert, broke his collarbone. Later that year he crashed again during the Olympic road race in London. “I really had a hard time with that,” he says Cyclingnews.
“It weighed heavily on me for a long time, especially because it was my fault. In the Tour I wanted to jump over a water bottle in the feeding area, but I crashed and broke my collarbone. If the crash is your own fault, it is more difficult to accept.”
Tipping point
However, Cancellara is convinced that the fall of Wout van Aert could be a turning point in his career. Just as was the case with Mathieu van der Poel when he had a serious crash with his mountain bike in Tokyo and subsequently had problems with his back for a long time.
“For Wout, this may be the time to turn the page, take a new direction and look at things differently. Something like that will obviously affect him. He invested so much time, went to train on El Teide for three weeks, he chose a different approach, and it was all for nothing because of a stupid fall.”
Respect rehabilitation
“Wout will feel the pressure to come back strong and win a big race this season, but the most important thing is to remember that he is only human. At this moment he has to keep his feet on the ground and have respect for the duration of his rehabilitation.”
“He should not rush for the upcoming Giro d’Italia. It is a difficult situation at the moment, but he can use this moment and the period to come in a positive way,” said Fabian Cancellara.
