Van Aert Abandons Tour de France Tune-Up With Elbow Injury

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 for the Tour de France, starting three weeks from now.

Team Visma-Lease a Bike confirmed the news via social media Friday morning that Van Aert is struggling with injuries sustained in a training crash last week.

“Wout van Aert will not appear at the start of stage 6 of Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes today. 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 after he won Paris Roubaix.

The Belgian ace only looked to be getting his legs back under him when he powered to sprint victory on Thursday.

Visma-Lease a Bike director Maarten Wynants confirmed Van Aert is heading for an ultrasound scan that will 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. This is just the next thing coming his way.

“Yesterday during the stage he started having trouble with his elbow again, 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.”