Cycling Olympic favourite was ‘screaming in pain’ after suffering bloody cuts and bruises

One of Belgium’s most prestigious road cycling races was marred by a serious crash that left Olympic favourite Wout van Aert with broken collarbone and fractured ribs. 

Van Aert suffered several fractures after being brought down along with several riders some 65 kilometres from the finish of the Dwars door Vlaanderen one-day race on Wednesday.

The leader of the Visma-Lease a Bike team crashed just ahead of the climb of Berg ten Houte along with Biniam Girmay of Intermarche-Wanty and Mads Pedersen and Jasper Stuyven of Lidl-Trek. 

Van Aertm, the reigning Olympic road race silver medallist and a podium favourite for the 2024 Olympics this summer, could be heard screaming in pain as he lay on the ground.

He was helped onto a stretcher and taken to the medical tent for X-rays, which revealed the extent of his injuries and ruled him out of the upcoming Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix and the Amstel Gold Race – three of the classic road races that are the staple of the cycling calendar in March and April. 

Wout van Aert suffered a broken collarbone and fractured ribs in a major crash

The Belgian crashed 65km from the finish of the Dwars door Vlaanderen on Wednesday

‘It is unclear how long his recovery will take,’ the Visma team said in a statement. 

‘Van Aert will definitely miss the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix and the Amstel Gold Race.’

Stuyven also appeared to hurt his collarbone in the crash, while Pedersen and Girmay did not appear to have major injuries.

Van Aert sat out the recent Paris-Nice and Milan-San Remo races, opting instead for a three-week altitude camp in order to peak for Sunday’s Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix on April 7.

The Belgian is widely considered one of the world’s best and most versatile riders. 

The three-time cyclocross world champion is also the winner of 10 stages and the points classification at the Tour de France, along with the winner of such major races as Milan-San Remo, Strade Bianchi, Gent-Wevelgem and Amstel Gold Race.

Belgium has qualified the maximum four riders for the road race at the Paris Olympics, and two of those riders will take part in the time trial. Van Aert was on the long list released last year along with Remco Evenepoel and several other stars.

Van Aert was planning to skip the Tour de France, which ends just before the Paris Games, so that he would be fresher for the Olympics. He instead planned to race the Giro d’Italia in May, though those plans are now in question after his crash.

During the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, van Aert was part of a chasing group trying to catch eventual winner Richard Carapaz at Fuji Speedway. 

Van Aert (circled) was brought down as two riders in front of him collided at high speed 

The massive crash involved ten other riders, including Biniam Girmay of Intermarche-Wanty and Mads Pedersen and Jasper Stuyven of Lidl-Trek

The group crashed just ahead of the climb of Berg ten Houte in the race

But the group was more than a minute behind the Ecuadorian at the finish, and van Aert was left to out-sprint a group that included American rider Brandon McNulty and bronze medalist Tadej Pogacar for the silver medal.

Van Aert also competed in the individual time trial in Japan, finishing in sixth place but a mere 37 seconds out of the medals.

The Dwars door Vlaanderen was won by Van Aert’s American team mate Matteo Jorgenson, winner of the Paris-Nice earlier this month, but his thoughts were with the Belgian.

‘It was a very nasty fall, I knew immediately that we had lost Wout,’ Jorgenson said.

‘I hope everyone is okay, and that I’m now not the only remaining contender for the Tour of Flanders. We’ll see about that later.’