In the last few hours, Wout Van Aert, who will not be able to compete in the Giro d’Italia due to the multiple injuries caused by the fall suffered in A via Flanders, has officially withdrawn from the race.
Through a video shared by Visma-Lease a Bike on its social networks, the Belgian rider made this announcement, where he indicated that he has not been able to train properly while recovering from this accident that also deprived him of racing the Tour of Flanders and Paris Roubaix.
“I’m trying to take my first pedal strokes on the bike, but this is not enough to get back to training. That’s why I made the decision not to race the Giro d’Italia. It’s a real shame, but right now I need to prioritize my health and give my body time to recover,” Van Aert said in the video.
Who will be his replacement at the Giro?
Following this announcement, Visma also made official that Christophe Laporte will take Van Aert’s place on the roster for the Giro. This will be his first participation in the ‘corsa rosa’ after racing the last nine editions of the Tour de France.
On the other hand, this is the second casualty announced by the Dutch team in less than a week, as Wilco Kelderman was also out due to a broken collarbone suffered in Paris Nice, so Koen Bouwman was announced as his replacement.
Beyond that, in the bees’ squad there is uncertainty about the evolution of Jonas Vingegaard, who was seriously affected by the accident suffered in the Tour of the Basque Country, so he runs the risk of not competing in the Tour, where he hopes to stay for his third consecutive title.
Source: Johan Andrés Castro Montaño, www.antena2.com