Wout van Aert (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) has completed a substantial block of climbing in the Dolomites as he works towards a possible return at the Vuelta a España.
The Belgian's public Strava profile lists seven rides around Val Gardena between July 7 and July 13, totalling 699.52 kilometres and 17,743 metres of elevation gain. The rides show Van Aert completing repeated days in the mountains after an infected elbow wound forced him to miss the 2026 Tour de France.
His largest listed ride came on July 9, when he covered 150.67km with a monster 4,590 metres of climbing in 6 hours and 13 minutes. The ride also gave him the fastest recorded time on Strava's Grödnerjoch to St. Ulrich downhill segment.
The block opened on July 6 with a 10.15km mountain run gaining 695 metres, before Van Aert switched to the bike for successive rides beyond 100km, including 115.21km with 2,852 metres of climbing on July 11. His most recent listed outing, on July 13, covered 133.26km with 2,783 metres of elevation gain in 4 hours and 32 minutes – a punchy average for a training ride.
Van Aert builds towards a Vuelta return
Team Visma | Lease a Bike confirmed on June 17 that Van Aert would miss the Tour after failing to recover sufficiently from the elbow injury.
The problem began with a crash during training shortly before the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. An infection then developed in the wound during the stage race, requiring it to be cleaned again in hospital and Van Aert to remain overnight for observation.
Van Aert had won stage five in a sprint before withdrawing ahead of stage six. The infection also kept him out of Visma's altitude camp in Tignes, leaving too little time to prepare for the Tour at the required level.
“This is of course a big disappointment,” Van Aert said when his withdrawal was announced. “My full focus is now on my recovery so I can return to my best level later this season.”
He had been expected to support Jonas Vingegaard, whose Visma team began the Tour without Van Aert or Christophe Laporte. Per Strand Hagenes and Davide Piganzoli entered the Tour group in their places.
The Vuelta was already a major objective before the elbow injury. “I still have unfinished business in the Vuelta,” Van Aert said in a January team preview.
Van Aert abandoned the 2024 edition after crashing on a wet descent during stage 16. He had won three stages and was leading both the points and mountains classifications at the time.
Cover image credit: Zac Williams/SWpix.com
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