Wout van Aert back on the bike after ankle fracture
Wout van Aert has returned to training just nine days after undergoing surgery for an ankle fracture, an encouraging step in his recovery after crashing at the cyclocross race in Mol in early January.
The ride itself was short for the 31-year-old Visma | Lease a Bike rider, covering 33.3 kilometres at an average speed of 32.3kph in the area around his home town of Herentals. Van Aert posted the session on Strava, where he summed it up in two words: “Won today”.
Van Aert crashed on January 2 during the Zilvermeercross in Mol, suffering an ankle fracture as he was locked in a fierce battle with Mathieu van der Poel in snowy conditions. He successfully underwent surgery the following day, through the operation brought his cyclocross season to an end.
Since then, communication around his condition and recovery had been limited.
Earlier on Monday, Feltet.dk reported that Visma | Lease a Bike confirmed that Van Aert has joined the team at their training camp in the Benidorm area. He is also set to attend the team’s scheduled media day on Tuesday 13 January alongside the rest of the squad.
What the injury will ultimately mean for Van Aert’s 2026 road season is still unclear. The Spring Classics remain his major objective, but any adjustments to his programme will depend on how his injury will progress in the coming weeks.
After the setback at the 2024 Vuelta and its lingering effects at the start of 2025, Van Aert had hoped for a trouble free winter in the build up to the 2026 season. Speaking recently on the Team Visma | Lease a Bike podcast, he said he wished for “just a smooth run into my main objectives.”
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