Wout van Aert forced to skip Belgian Championships

Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike) will miss the upcoming Belgian National Championships today, on Sunday, 29 June, due to illness. His team, Visma Lease a Bike, confirmed that the Belgian rider is not feeling 100% and consequently won't take to the start line in Binche.

In an update to social media, the team announced, "Wout developed symptoms of illness on Saturday evening, and following a medical evaluation this morning, the decision was made to withdraw from the race."

The Visma | Lease a Bike rider became the Belgian champion back in 2021 and would go on to win three stages at the Tour de France that year. Twelve months ago, the Belgian finished 5th behind Arnaud De Lie, who was victorious. The 2025 course takes the riders 230 kilometres from Binche to Binche, and in the absence of Van Aert, the likes of Remco Evenepoel, Jasper Philipsen, and Tim Merlier are the standout names on the start list.

Van Aert, who hasn't raced since playing a pivotal role in his teammate's, Simon Yates's, victory at the Giro d'Italia in May, where he was a key figure in particular on stage 20 helping his GC leader to turn the race on its head. 

The Belgian is scheduled to race the upcoming Tour de France and will once again be a key figure for the GC leader, Jonas Vingegaard, as the Dane will attempt to dethrone Tadej Pogačar. Visma | Lease a Bike will want their Belgian star to be 100% for the Tour, so the decision made to withdraw from the Belgian championships will likely have been influenced by the Tour, which starts next Saturday on July 5, in Lille.