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Wout van Aert abandoned the Tour Auvergne-Rhônes-Alpes ahead of stage 6 on Friday, just one day after he sprinted to a victory that answered doubts about his form.
The news will cause a ripple of concern across Visma-Lease a Bike as the team prepares to support Jonas Vingegaard at the Tour de France in three weeks’ time.
Visma-Lease a Bike confirmed the news via social media Friday morning that Van Aert has abandoned “with significant discomfort.”
The Belgian ace has been struggling with injuries he sustained when he fell training on his TT bike last Monday.
“Wout van Aert will not appear at the start of stage 6 of Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes today,” read the team note.
“He is still experiencing significant discomfort in his elbow related to the crash he sustained last week. Wout will travel back to Belgium for further medical examinations. Join us in wishing Wout a smooth recovery.”
Van Aert in race against time as Tour de France approaches
Van Aert’s exit couldn’t come at a worse time.
The 31-year-old has been chasing Tour de France form all week after he enjoyed a long period of downtime having won Paris-Roubaix.
He only looked to be getting his legs back under him when he powered to sprint victory on Thursday.
Visma-Lease a Bike did not suggest Van Aert had abandoned as a precaution rather than slogging through the three mountainous stages to come.
Sport director Maarten Wynants told Het Laatste Nieuws on Friday morning that WVA is rushing home for an ultrasound scan.
The results could prove crucial to the shape of his summer.
“We went from low to high, and now back from high to low,” Wynants told Het Laatste Nieuws. “Wout was naturally pleased with the stage win, but also disappointed [the pain returned]. This is just the next thing coming his way.
“Yesterday during the stage he started having trouble with his elbow, particularly on the descent. Afterward, it got even worse,” Wynants said Friday morning.
“This is not good news for the Tour. The most important thing now is that Wout can recover.”
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