Wout van Aert back riding bike for first time since Vuelta a España crash

Wout van Aert's recovery from his serious crash in the Vuelta a España continues, with the Visma-Lease a Bike rider enjoying his first bike ride outdoors.

The Belgian rider fell heavily on September 3 during stage 16 of the Vuelta during descent  in northern Spain. He immediately left the race due to a serious knee injury. 

After a difficult first part of the 2024 season - including another, even more serious, fall in the Classics, Van Aert won Vuelta three stages, led the race for two days, and he was in pole position in both the mountains and the points ranking. The crash changed everything. 

The injury was so bad it left Van Aert unable to walk, let alone ride a bike, and with his participation in any further road racing in 2024, including the World Championships,  ruled out.

Van Aert is now making a good recovery and on Friday, almost a month to the day after his fall, he posted a short ride on Strava, his first since the accident, with the expressive headline 'Woo-hoo.'

Van Aert's hour-long ride in Belgium was just 32.6 kilometres long and with 49 metres of elevation gain. But after such a difficult accident, his second major fall in 2024, it represents a milestone in his comeback.

After his bad fall and several days in hospital in Spain, Van Aert needed more hospital treatment in Belgium and initially was not able to move his knee at all.

However, on September 25 - and as was also subsequently posted on Strava -  the 30-year-old managed to walk 2.74 kilometres with his partner Sarah De Bie. In the meantime, Van Aert signed a lifelong pro contract with current team Visma-Leasa a Bike, a type of agreement that is reportedly unprecedented in professional cycling 

Although no date is yet set on when he will compete again, Van Aert has already indicated that he would like to take part in cyclocross this winter, before doing road racing again next season.