No W’s for Visma | Lease a Bike… Wout van Aert is now OUT Van Aert. The 2026 Paris-Roubaix winner will miss the Tour de France due to an elbow injury.
Van Aert crashed during training ahead of the Criterium du Dauphine Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, and ultimately had to abandon the race. But not before winning Stage 5.
The abandonment was due to an infection developing in the wound, but the good, albeit a little bit too too-much-information, news is that his Visma told us that the wound was cleaned this week in hospital.
The team has sensibly decided that Wout’s recovery is more important than having their star (or co-star) rider on the Tour de France startline.
This is of course a big disappointment. The Tour de France is one of my main goals every year. Unfortunately, a crash during training has put a spanner in the works, and the injury to my elbow has worsened and has still not healed sufficiently. Together with the team, we have concluded that starting the Tour in top form is not feasible at this point. My full focus is now on my recovery so I can return to my best level later this season.
Wout van Aert
Wout van Aert’s Tour replacement will be announced by the Visma team on June 23, when the final Tour de France selection will be presented.