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Belgian rider Wout van Aert will miss the Tour de France after failing to recover from an elbow injury in time, his Visma team announced Wednesday, dealing a major blow to the squad ahead of cycling's biggest race.
Van Aert, who won the Paris-Roubaix classic in April, was expected to play a key role for Visma and Danish rider Jonas Vingegaard during the July 4-26 Tour de France. However, the team said he was still dealing with the injury and had not reached the level required to start the race.
The setback began when Van Aert fell during training before last week's Tour Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes, a stage race, meaning a multi-day cycling event made up of separate racing sections.
Visma said an infection unexpectedly developed in the wound on his elbow during that race, forcing him to pull out. The team added that the wound was cleaned again in the hospital this week, while Van Aert also spent one night under observation.
Van Aert said missing the Tour was "of course, a big disappointment," noting that the race is one of his main goals every year.
He said a training crash had "put a spanner in the works," and that the injury had worsened and still had not healed enough. He added that he and the team had concluded that starting the Tour in top form was not feasible.
Race coach Marc Reef described Van Aert as one of the team's most important riders and said Visma had looked at all possible options in recent days.
However, he said the rider's health had to come first, adding that while his absence was unfortunate, the team believed it was the right decision for his recovery and the rest of his season.
Visma will announce Van Aert's replacement on June 23, when its final Tour de France selection is presented.
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