Wout van Aert bounce back with full energetic commitment from knee injury that knocked him out of Vuelta a España…….
Team Visma's Wout van Aert rides at the end of the stage 13 of the Vuelta a Espana, a 176 km race between Lugo and Puerto de Ancares, on August 30, 2024. (Photo by MIGUEL RIOPA / AFP)
Van Aert crashed on a wet descent on stage 16 to Lagos de Covadonga on September 3 and suffered a bruised bone near his knee, an injury that called an early end to his season, forcing him to miss the UCI Road World Championships.
It was the second major blow of the season for the Belgian, who crashed during the Dwars door Vlaanderen in March and suffered multiple fractures that excluded him from the rest of the Spring Classics and the Giro d’Italia, which was to be his main goal of the season.
an Aert returned in time for the Tour de France but was shut out of any stage wins, coming third in the opening stage and second in the sprints on stages 12 and 13. A bronze medal in the Olympic Games time trial signalled his return to top form and he won three stages of the Vuelta a España before crashing out.
