Having fallen on the descent of Collada Llomena, Belgian Wout van Aert had to abandon the Vuelta during the 16th stage. A new episode in a season that saw him suffer a series of falls and injuries.
The chalice to the dregs. While he was one of the great animators of this Vuelta 2024, with three stage victories, a green jersey and a best climber’s jersey, Wout van Aert fell at high speed in a wet bend on the descent of the Collada Llomena during the 16th stage. The Belgian was nevertheless part of an ambitious breakaway that set out to attack this mountain stage and which had a lead of more than 6 minutes on the peloton.
But it was written that the Belgian sprinter’s 2024 season would be a Stations of the Cross. Already the victim of a very heavy fall in the spring on A travers la Flandre, which left him with a fractured collarbone, shoulder blade and several ribs, Wout van Aert tried for a few moments to get back on his bike, before realizing that his body was too bruised to continue. So the Belgian from Visma-Lease a Bike was forced to abandon this Vuelta.
Concern about the rest of the season
The images of the green jersey sitting in the trunk of his team’s car, eyes closed, on the verge of fainting with a deeply cut knee did not inspire anything good for the rest of the season for the Belgian, who was nevertheless approaching the next European and World Championships with ambition.
If Visma-Lease a Bike confirmed “with a heavy heart” the withdrawal of its leader, it will be a question above all of waiting for news of his state of health, in order to know if his injuries are superficial or if they could keep him out of the peloton for a longer period.
