Wout van Aert has undergone surgery to close a large leg and hip wound following his crash during the stage 13 TT of the Tour de France in Pau today.
The Belgian rider was instantly out of the race when he caught the crowd control barriers during his TT.
And news that his wound was so large that it required surgery confirms he will be out action for some time.
He crashed in the final kilometre with the TV footage clearly showing he had caught the barrier and suffered a very deep gash to his right upper leg and hip.
Jumbo-Visma's head of performance Mathieu Heijboer explained
what happened in a video issue by the team.
“Wout was entering the final kilometre and there was a narrow
corner. He rode close to the barriers.
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“He hit one which caused him to crash. He suffered a very
serious deep wound. It had to be surgically stitched.
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“It was a terrible sight. Wout saw his leg and he
panicked. It was a horrific image.”
Van Aert had won stage 10 in a sprint from a reduced
peloton and also claimed the TT stage in the Dauphine and 24 hours late beat
Sam Bennett in a sprint to claim stage 5 of the race.
Heijboer said when Van Aert saw his injury today he stood
up and walked to the roadside, but he was urged not to look at his injury.
While the barrier tore deep into the muscle of his upper
leg and hip, he broke no bones.
"Wout is now in recovery. He'll go to the infirmary
tonight and then remain in the hospital for a few days before he can go home,"
Heijboer said.
Wout van Aert catches barriers
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