Giro d’Italia loses a major player

No Giro d'Italia for Wout van Aert

The Giro d'Italia 2024, which kicks off on May 4 from Venaria Reale, will not see Wout van Aert at the starting line. The Belgian champion, protagonist despite himself of a bad crash at Dwars Door Vlaanderen at the end of March, has not yet resumed training and explained, in a message entrusted to Team Visma-Lease a Bike channels, the reasons that led him to the step back.

"I still haven’t been able to get back on the bike in earnest,” Van Aert said.

Basically, I feel better and the fractures I suffered in the crash at Dwars Door Vlaanderen are healing as best as I can, but I still have pain in my chest and I can’t move as I want to nor can I give my best on the bike".

"For this reason,” the Belgian explained further, “I decided with my team not to participate in the Giro d'Italia. For me è it is disappointing not to be able to compete for one of the big goals of my season, but right now preserving my health è more important than everything else. I have to think about recovering fully".

That of Wout van Aert was a presence that many were expecting at the Giro d'Italia: the Belgian, in fact, has never trodden the roads of the Corsa Rosa with his bike, participating at grand tour level only in the Tour de France. To see him at the Giro, therefore, we will have to wait at least another year.