Van Aert falls ill again and will be out on Saturday

We will not be able to enjoy the anticipated duel between Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel at the start of the Belgian cobbled classics that was set to take place at the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. Just a few hours ago, Visma-Lease a Bike announced that Van Aert will be absent from this race.

There will be no Van Aert vs Van der Poel at the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

With a brief statement, as is customary for Visma-Lease a Bike, the Dutch team announced on social media that Wout van Aert has fallen ill again and will not participate in Het Nieuwsblad, the inaugural race of the classics campaign, where we all expected to see the always exciting duel between the Belgian cyclist and Mathieu van der Poel, who is debuting in a race that Wout van Aert was able to conquer in 2022.

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Van Aert, more than accustomed to the setbacks that cycling has dealt him in recent years, has taken it philosophically: “Obviously, it’s a tough blow to miss my first race after preparing for the classics season all winter. We had a good training camp in Sierra Nevada, and I felt very strong. But, unfortunately, it’s also that time of year when it’s easy to get sick. I remain positive about how I felt during training and trust that I will be able to compete again soon. But not this Saturday.”

A Wout van Aert who was returning to competition after having to end his cyclocross campaign earlier than expected after fracturing his ankle on December 2nd in the spectacular race in Mol, where he was in a tight duel with Van der Poel under a heavy snowfall until a fall caused the injury that forced him to abandon the race.

After this setback, it is not expected that Wout van Aert will have to continue canceling appointments on his calendar, so his debut in the 2026 road season should take place next Tuesday, March 3rd, when the Ename Samyn Classic is held, by the way, a race that his archrival Mathieu van der Poel won last year. In any case, it is unlikely that Van Aert will want to miss this event, as the next one on his calendar will be on Saturday, March 7th, when the Strade Bianche will take place.