'The wound is not healing' - Van Aert faces Tour de France concern after Dauphiné exit

Van Aert won the sprint in Parc des Oiseaux Villars les Dombes on Thursday, his first road victory since Paris Roubaix, but Visma | Lease a Bike confirmed on Friday morning that he would not start stage 6 because of continuing problems with the elbow he injured in a training crash earlier this month.

The 31-year-old will travel back to Belgium for further medical examinations after the injury worsened overnight.

“The wound is not healing,” team director Maarten Wynants told Sporza. “We do not really understand why it has suddenly become worse than it was earlier this week. He will now go back to Belgium, where further medical tests will be carried out in hospital.”

Van Aert crashed on his time trial bike on 1 June and started the race with visible strapping on his elbow and knee. At first, the damage appeared to be under control. Earlier in the week, Van Aert said he did not expect the injuries to trouble him too much, but according to Wynants, the elbow had already become a concern during Thursday’s stage.

“It has been a rollercoaster of emotions,” he said. “During the race he came back to the car because his elbow was bothering him. It was clearly swollen. After the finish, it only got worse.”

Visma’s medical staff tried to reduce the swelling overnight with ice and compression, but the treatment did not bring enough improvement for Van Aert to continue.

“We did everything we could,” Wynants added. “Together with the doctor we saw that the elbow was badly swollen. We tried to bring it down, but without success.”

The timing is far from ideal. The Tour de France starts in Barcelona on July 4, leaving Van Aert with just over three weeks to recover and rebuild momentum. He had been expected to continue his preparation in Tignes with the rest of Visma | Lease a Bike’s Tour squad, but those plans are now uncertain.

Van Aert is set to play an important role for the team in July, supporting Jonas Vingegaard while also targeting selected stages himself. The setback is particularly awkward given his focus on the opening weekend of the race.

Speaking to Domestique last month, Van Aert made clear that the first days in Barcelona had already caught his attention.

“I already have my mind set on the opening weekend,” he said. “I don’t think there will be a huge number of chances for me on this route, but in the first weekend, I think there will be.”

For now, Wynants said the team will not look too far ahead.

“First we have to make sure the elbow recovers,” he said. “After that, we will take it step by step and look again at the schedule.”