Wout van Aert will return to racing at next week’s Tour of Norway for the first time since breaking his collarbone, ribs and sternum at Dwars door Vlaanderen on March 27.
The Belgian star saw his Spring Classics campaign and planned debut at the Giro d’Italia derailed when he crashed at high speed in the one-day Classic just four days before his big goal of the Tour of Flanders.
A long rehabilitation period followed, with Van Aert first getting back to walking before a staggered return to riding a bike where he used a mountain bike and gravel bike before he returned to normal training in April.
"It hasn't always been easy sitting on the sidelines, but fortunately, I can now look ahead again", Van Aert said in a release from the team.
"I am looking forward to pinning on a race number again. I have been able to train more and more in recent weeks, but it is still different from racing. So, my main goal is to test myself and see how I do in a race. Without any expectations."
The Tour of Norway is a four-day, 2.pro stage race, starting on Thursday, May 23 in Voss and finishing on Sunday, May 26 in Stavanger. Van Aert has only raced there once previously in 2017.
As stated, there won't be any expectations on Van Aert and it will simply be about gaining race rhythm and getting the body back used to racing, serving as part of his rehabilitation.
"It's great to have Wout back in the team after his crash. He starts without any pressure to perform," said sports director Merijn Zeeman. "This is a good moment for him to test himself in competition again."
For now, this is all that has been announced for Van Aert, with no mention of a possible sixth appearance at the Tour de France. He wasn't meant to ride it in 2024 but circumstances have changed since the crash, however, with the Paris Olympics in August set as his biggest remaining goal this season, he may take more time to ensure he is at his best for the time trial and road race.
"We don't know yet what the rest of his race schedule will look like. We will see in the coming weeks," said Zeeman.
"We are taking things one step at a time. That has proven to be the best way to recover," concurred Van Aert.
He'll be joined in Norway by Bart Lemmen, Koen Bouwman, Tijmen Graat, Menno Huising and Per Strand Hagenes, with the likes of Josh Tarling (Ineos Grenadiers) and Thibau Nys (Lidl-Trek) also on the provisional start list.
