With his iconic celebration, airplane-shaped arms and a sincere smile, Wout Van Aert won again. After going through a series of inconveniences, he managed to overcome a difficult period marked by a serious fall. Four months after his accident on La Vuelta, he was finally able to breathe by returning to his natural environment, victory.
The 2024 season has been tumultuous for Van Aert. His journey was disrupted by a fall before the start of the classics season, which put an end to his hopes. When he seemed to be gaining momentum in La Vuelta by accumulating three stage victories, everything got complicated on the road to the Lakes of Covadonga. He had secured the green jersey and was looking to shine in the mountains, but on the formidable Colada Llomena, he fell in the company of Engelhardt and Del Toro, hitting the rocks on the side of the road, which was his biggest misfortune.
During his convalescence, he decided to participate in a season of cyclocross different, not to win, but to find rhythm, without a World Cup objective. During the Super prestige de Gullegemhe made his return. Mathieu Van der Poel being absent, Van Aert showed his authority on the muddy pitch, even if it wasn’t a flamboyant exhibitionhe knew how to take advantage of his power.
The event proved to be very selective and, over the course of the laps, a group formed where Van Aert gradually wore out the Belgian champion That is, Iserby. The “battle of the Belgians” did not take place in all its splendor, the Visma machine had an undeniable advantage. Vanthourenhout completed the podium and Niels Vandeputte, fifth at the finish, strengthened his position in the general classification.
-On the descent of the Collada Llomena, Felix Engelhardt (Jayco-AlUla), Wout Van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Marc Soler (Movistar Team) fell. The Belgian rider suffered a violent impact on his leg against the rocks, which forced him to abandon. The three-time stage winner of La Vuelta 2024 left the race affected, pale and in pain.
“I really stepped up the pace. In the last two laps I tried to tire Iserbyt. It is difficult to outrun him on such a winding circuit. I was surprised that I managed to leave him there,” Van Aert said after his victory. Felipe Orts was, once again, the best Spaniard, finishing 7th after struggling at the head of the race.
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