Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) has confirmed that his 2025/26 cyclocross season is over after spraining his ankle and sustaining a small fracture in a crash at the Zilvermeercross in Mol - robbing the cyclocross season of a much anticipated showdown between the Belgian and Mathieu van der Poel in Zonhoven.
The Belgian will miss the World Cup round in Zonhoven and the national championships, but early medical opinion remains optimistic about his prospects for the Spring Classics.
The 31-year-old crashed heavily on a snow-covered corner during the seventh lap in Mol, after much excitement around his in-form duel with Van der Poel. He initially attempted to continue before abandoning with pain in his ankle. Hospital scans later revealed a sprain combined with a small fracture.
Visma-Lease a Bike said on Friday that Van Aert would undergo surgery on Saturday to stabilise the injury. A short update on the team’s social media channels later confirmed that “the surgery was successful” and that he will now begin his recovery.
In a statement released after the diagnosis, Van Aert set out the immediate consequences for his winter programme.
“Of course I am very disappointed to have to end my cyclo-cross season like this,” Van Aert said. “I was feeling better and better, including today in Mol. I was really looking forward to the race in Zonhoven and the Belgian Championships. But my focus will now be on recovery and, later on, the preparation of the road season.”
The injury rules Van Aert out of two of his biggest remaining cyclocross targets – Zonhoven and the Belgian Championships. Any possibility of extending the campaign towards the World Championships has effectively been removed by the need for surgery and a protected rehabilitation period.
Classics build remains realistic
While the crash has sharply curtailed his winter, the outlook for Van Aert’s road campaign is more encouraging. Team and independent medical assessments agree that the small, localised nature of the fracture should allow him to resume structured training in time for a full build-up to the cobbled Classics, provided there are no complications.
Belgian broadcaster Sporza consulted sports physician Tom Teulingkx, who has previously worked with Van Aert. He underlined that such small, stabilised ankle fractures do not automatically jeopardise a rider’s spring campaign, so long as weight-bearing is reintroduced gradually and the joint regains full mobility.
For Visma-Lease a Bike, the injury therefore represents a disruption to the planned route into the road season rather than a fundamental re-write of objectives. We will now expect Van Aert’s programme to focus directly on a debut at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad on 28 February, ahead of the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix in April.
Cover image credit: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com
