Olympic Favorite Van Aert Breaks Collarbone, Ribs In Crash During Race In Belgium

Belgian bike owner Wout van Aert, the reigning Olympic highway race silver medalist and a podium favourite for the Paris Games, crashed throughout the Dwars door Vlaanderen race Wednesday and fractured his collarbone together with a number of ribs.

The chief of the Visma-Lease a Bike staff crashed in Belgium simply forward of the climb of Berg ten Houte together with Biniam Girmay of Intermarche-Wanty and Mads Pedersen and Jasper Stuyven of Lidl-Trek. Van Aert was helped onto a stretcher and brought to the medical tent for X-rays, which revealed the extent of his accidents.

“It is unclear how long his recovery will take,” the Visma staff mentioned in an announcement. “Van Aert will definitely miss the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix and the Amstel Gold Race.”

Stuyven additionally appeared to harm his collarbone within the crash, whereas Pedersen and Girmay didn’t seem to have main accidents.

Van Aert’s teammate, Matteo Jorgenson of the U.S., went on to win Dwars door Vlaanderen with a solo assault from a breakaway.

Van Aert is broadly thought of one of many world’s greatest and most versatile riders. The three-time cyclocross world champion can be the winner of 10 levels and the factors classification on the Tour de France, together with the winner of such main races as Milan-San Remo, Strade Bianchi, Gent-Wevelgem and Amstel Gold.

Belgium has certified the utmost 4 riders for the highway race on the Paris Olympics, and two of these riders will participate within the time trial. Van Aert was on the lengthy record launched final fall together with Remco Evenepoel and several other different stars.

Van Aert was planning to skip the Tour de France, which ends simply earlier than the Summer Games, in order that he could be brisker for the Olympics. He as a substitute deliberate to race the Giro d’Italia in May, although these plans are actually in query after his crash.

During the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, van Aert was a part of a chasing group attempting to catch eventual winner Richard Carapaz at Fuji Speedway. But the group was greater than a minute behind the Ecuadorian on the end, and van Aert was left to out-sprint a gaggle that included American rider Brandon McNulty and bronze medalist Tadej Pogacar for the silver medal.

Van Aert additionally competed within the particular person time trial in Japan, ending in sixth place however a mere 37 seconds out of the medals.

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AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

(This story has not been edited by News18 employees and is revealed from a syndicated information company feed – Associated Press)