Belgian Wout Van Aert abandoned the Across Flanders race this Wednesday after a very violent fall along with several other favorites on Wednesday, four days before the Tour of Flanders.
The leader of the Visma-Lease a bike team went to the ground 67 km from the finish in a right turn taken at full speed.
He stood up with difficulty, his shirt torn and his back completely torn, before being evacuated on a stretcher.
😮 Wout van Aert victim of a terrible fall!
The Belgian was forced to retire after a racing incident which also impacted Mads Pedersen, Jasper Stuyven and Biniam Girmay...
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His compatriot Jasper Stuyven, the Dane Mads Pedersen and the Eritrean Biniam Girmay also fell heavily, while they were in a small peloton of favorites chasing behind the breakaway.
This incident is likely to seriously compromise Van Aert's participation in the Tour of Flanders on Sunday and on April 7 at Paris-Roubaix.
The Fleming had made these two cobbled Monuments, which are still missing from his list of achievements, the main objective of his season.