Wout van Aert will not start the Tour de France after struggling to recover from a recent elbow injury, Visma-Lease a Bike confirmed on Wednesday morning, in a big blow for their squad and Jonas Vingegaard's support.
The surprise news came after Van Aert had to abandon the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and then missed the start of Visma's altitude training camp in Tignes as a result of the elbow injury, which he sustained in a crash a week before the renamed Dauphiné.
After conflicting reports of the severity of Van Aert's elbow injury at the weekend, Visma confirmed that "an infection unexpectedly developed in the wound."
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Following a night in the hospital, Visma's medical staff, the performance coaches, and Van Aert came to the decision that his recovery and health should come first, meaning he would not be included in the eight-man Tour roster.
"This is of course a big disappointment. The Tour de France is one of my main goals every year," said Van Aert on Visma's website.
"Unfortunately, a crash during training has put a spanner in the works, and the injury to my elbow has worsened and has still not healed sufficiently. Together with the team, we have concluded that starting the Tour in top form is not feasible at this point. My full focus is now on my recovery so I can return to my best level later this season."
It's the latest setback in an illustrious career, but one filled with injury and bad luck for Van Aert, who has missed out on several of his biggest goals due to crashes, notably at the Tour in 2019, Dwars door Vlaanderen in 2024, the Vuelta of the same year, and even at the start of this season when he broke his ankle in a cyclo-cross race.
The Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes was Van Aert's first race back on the road since winning Paris-Roubaix in April, and despite early struggles – which stemmed from the training crash and elbow injury – he had seemed to steady the ship with a sprint stage win.
It was due to be his eighth Tour de France appearance, where he would have been chasing an 11th stage win in his career. Aside from working for himself, Van Aert would have been a vital cog in Vingegaard's support, having contributed to mountaintop victories and the Dane's two yellow jersey successes in 2022 and 2023.
According to their soon-to-be head of racing, Marc Reef – following the shock exit of Grischa Niermann – Van Aert was never going to be back at his best in time for the Grand Départ in Barcelona on July 4. Visma have not yet announced who will replace the Belgian at the start, but said they would do so on June 23.
"Wout is one of the most important riders in our team and we obviously would have loved to have him at the start of the Tour," said Reef.
"In recent days we have explored all options, but ultimately, his health comes first. With the recovery period required, it is not possible for him to reach top form in time for the Tour de France.
"It is unfortunate that he will not be there, but we are convinced this is the right decision for his recovery and the rest of the season."
The next race on Van Aert's provisional calendar is the Vuelta a España in August and September.
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