Wout van Aert might not be back on his bike just yet, but he is back on Strava.
He managed a 2.47-mile (4km) walk in and out of his home town of Herentals on Wednesday morning, which he titled 'Standing still is going backwards'.
It's an allusion to his recovery from the major crash he suffered in last week's Dwars door Vlaanderen, in which he broke a collarbone, his sternum and seven ribs. It ruled him out of the rest of the Classics season, including major goal Paris-Roubaix.
The Visma-Lease A Bike rider underwent surgery the same day and returned home for Easter weekend.
Whether or not he watched key rival Mathieu van der Poel's dominant performance to win the Tour of Flanders – a race that he, Van Aert, has so long wanted to win, we don't know.
Recording every small walk on Strava is something that seems to divide opinion, with some insisting the platform should be kept for more meaningful activities. It's unlikely anyone would begrudge Van Aert demonstrating that he's up and out again after such a traumatic experience in Dwars though. In any case, it wasn't a bad outing, with nearly 5,200 steps completed using his Garmin Forerunner 945.
It is currently not known when the 29-year-old will race again, although Belgian media outlet Het Laatse Nieuws says it has information suggesting that the upcoming Giro d'Italia (beginning May 4) is being considered as a "serious option". This seems rather optimistic given the extent of Van Aert's injuries – though we have seen riders complete large chunks of Grand Tours with fractures before.
Van Aert's Visma-Lease A Bike team on the other hand, says there is "no news" about the rider's return to competition at this stage.
"We'll look at this further in the coming days," said Visma DS Grischa Niermann, "and let the doctors decide what is possible."
In order to race the Giro, says Het Laatse Nieuws, "A requirement is that the fractures continue to heal properly, the rehabilitation proceeds quickly, and he can complete a minimum of training.
"According to our information, the main pain has subsided from his broken ribs, collarbone, and sternum," it added.
With participation in the Paris Olympic Games in August a key goal for this season, switching from the Giro d'Italia to the Tour de France in July is "not an option", says the paper, as it could interfere too much with Van Aert's Olympic plans.
