Once again bad news about Wout van Aert. Because, just like in previous years, illness has struck again, as we previously reported. It now remains to be seen how bad this disease has wreaked havoc and what its impact will be.
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Worries again
Van Aert announced on Strava that he had been ill last week. His message — “First pedal strokes in a few days” with a sick little man present — sounds lighthearted at first glance, but anyone who knows the cyclo-cross world knows that such an interruption in December or January is rarely without consequences.
Especially in a discipline in which explosiveness and repeated deep efforts are crucial, even a short period of illness can immediately be felt in the performance. This also comes at a difficult time for Van Aert, ironically just in the week that he announced his cyclo-cross program.
Just when the intensity of his training increases and the competition is at full speed, he has to rebuild. In the field, rhythm, freshness and sharpness are essential. A few days of not exercising can be enough to disrupt that finely tuned balance. In total, Van Aert stayed off the bike for 3 full days.
In addition, the severity of his illness is still difficult to estimate. A mild cold is one thing, but if the illness has struck deeper — for example, a fever or an infection that affects energy supplies — recovery can take much longer. Only when he competes again will it become clear how much of an impact this break really had.
Not unique
Unfortunately, illness is not an unknown factor in Van Aert’s career. In recent years he has been hit several times at crucial moments. For example, a few seasons ago he had to miss both the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix due to illness, a particularly bitter pill given his ambition and level. It shows how fragile the preparation of a top athlete sometimes is.
Although there has been some hopeful news in the meantime, although the disease cannot of course be erased. But in the meantime, the Kempen resident is back on the bike, where, according to his Strava, he experienced ‘many symptoms of healing’ on Monday.
