One hundred and one runners in the peloton but, under the Norwegian sun, eyes are only on him. Red Bull helmet screwed on the head, glasses on the nose, Wout Van Aert is back. It is therefore on the roads of Voos, in the west of the country, that the Visma Lease a Bike rider decided to resume competition for the first stage of the Tour of Norway.
However, he should have been in Italy, on the roads of the Giro, to offer a little competition to Tadej Pogacar. But the Olympic vice-champion in Tokyo saw his schedule turned upside down. On March 27, on the semi-classic Across Flanders, the Belgian fell heavily. He finished the race on a stretcher. The verdict came in the following hours: seven ribs, broken collarbone and sternum as well as a contusion to the lung. His entire season is in question. However, a week later, Van Aert published his first activity on Strava, with a four-kilometer walk. The appeal of cycling is such that, even weakened and injured, the champion returns to activity very quickly.
Dropped one kilometer from the finish
No one will therefore be surprised to see him back in the peloton only two months after his fall and hoping for participation in the Tour de France. However, the 2021 Belgian champion remains cautious: “I’m not in the best shape, it’s a test. My main objective is to test myself and see how I feel during the race,” he said before setting off on the Tour of Norway. He had notably confided to the Belgian daily The newspapaer : “More than once, I thought I was finally out of the woods and could start training again. This is probably the biggest mistake I made: I underestimated my injury. »
In a finish at the top, Van Aert, who is used to making differences, gave up just over a kilometer from the finish. In the end, it was the young Belgian from the Lidl-Trek Thibau Nys who won at the top of the Voss Resort. Sixtieth at the finish, Wout Van Aert regains his bearings. If some expected a result, he no longer wants to skip steps. “We take the stages one by one,” he said before the race, “without any particular expectations. This has been shown to be the best way to treat yourself. »
It is still too early to say whether he will be present at the start of the Tour de France in Florence (Italy) on June 29 or at the Olympic Games in Paris this summer. For the moment, the Belgian is too physically weak to make the difference at the end of the race. A presence at major upcoming events would be the best thing to wish Wout Van Aert. Because considering results this summer would be presumptuous for the moment.
