Less than three weeks after ankle surgery, Wout van Aert (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) is already back to long outdoor training rides in Spain, including a six-hour session on Monday.
The Belgian's activity title "6 7 🤷🏻" is cryptic, but likely nods to the '6-7' social media meme, which is more or less nonsensical by design. A glance at his cockpit reveals an intensity guide from 1-10, so we speculate that it perhaps shows him progressing some firmly into 'Hard' territory.
The 32.7kph average over 2,676m of climbing confirms he has transitioned out of the 'soft pedaling' recovery phase and back into serious endurance work.
Van Aert crashed heavily during the Zilvermeercross in Mol on January 2, fracturing his ankle in a battle with Mathieu van der Poel. Surgery followed on January 3. By January 6 – three days post-operation – he was back on an indoor trainer. He departed for Spain on January 13, a day after completing his first outdoor ride on January 12. The six-hour effort came on January 19.
The speed of progression has surprised Visma coaching staff. Directeur sportif Jan Boven noted that Van Aert has "barely fallen behind" his original schedule, in comments made to Wielerflits. The biomechanical advantage of cycling – where the ankle remains largely fixed in the shoe and pedal system, reducing impact compared to running – has allowed earlier controlled loading than typical fracture protocols would suggest.
Van Aert's original winter plan included six cyclocross races designed to build intensity for the road season. The Mol crash forced cancellation of the remainder of that programme. The focus has now shifted entirely to base endurance: long, steady rides at controlled heart rates to preserve the aerobic foundation required for 250km-plus monuments in March and April.
He is scheduled to continue training in Spain, before his debut at Opening Weekend in late February.
