- Cycling celebrity Wout van Aert's Vuelta comes to an unfortunate halt due to a severe accident.
The hard crash and subsequent withdrawal of Belgian cycling sensation Wout van Aert dominated the 16th stage of the Vuelta a España. At 29, the cyclist slipped on a wet road during a swift descent, harming his right knee. Striving to reintegrate into the race using a substitute bike, he had to halt shorty afterward, ultimately retiring to the team car with a bleeding knee. Van Aert's participation in the UCI Road World Championships, scheduled for September 21 to 29 in Zurich, remains uncertain, pending a thorough examination.
Earlier, in late March, van Aert combusted at high speeds during the semi-classic Dwars door Vlaanderen in Belgium, splintering his kneecap, sternum, and multiple ribs. The Visma competitor was compelled to skip the Classics Flanders Tour and Paris-Roubaix, as well as the Giro d'Italia.
The arduous 16th stage, ending with a mountain finish in Lagos de Covadonga after 181.5 kilometers, was triumphantly secured by Spanish rider Marc Soler. Australian Ben O'Connor kept the red jersey, maintaining his position as overall leader. However, the Slovenian star and top bet Primoz Roglic from the German team Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe's lead over O'Connor continued to contract, leaving Roglic just five seconds behind.
Interim, Roglic's teammate Florian Lipowitz surrendered the white jersey for the best young rider on the stage. The 23-year-old ex-biathlete dropped to third place in the youth classification, relinquishing his lead to Spaniard Carlos Rodriguez and Dane Mattias Skjelmose.
The 17th stage rolls out on Wednesday, covering 141.5 kilometers from Arnuero to Santander. The Vuelta concludes on September 8 with an individual time trial in Madrid.
The following incident at the 16th stage greatly affected Wout van Aert's participation in the UCI Road World Championships. Despite the hard crash, Van Aert's performance in Dwars door Vlaanderen earlier this year was equally challenging, as he suffered injuries that forced him to skip multiple races.
