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James Moultrie

'Suddenly there were shards of glass on the road' – More bad luck hits Wout van Aert in first race back and rules him out of challenging for victory at Ename Samyn Classic

DOUR, BELGIUM - MARCH 03: Wout van Aert of Belgium and Team Visma | Lease a Bike competes during the 58th Ename Samyn Classic 2026 - Men's Elite a 203.8km one day race from Quaregnon to Dour on March 03, 2026 in Dour, Belgium. (Photo by Luc Claessen/Getty Images).

The bad luck continued on an anticlimactic return to racing for Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) at the Ename Samyn Classic, with a late puncture and two bike changes ruling him out of contention for the victory on Tuesday.

Having suffered a setback and fractured his ankle at a cyclo-cross race in January, Van Aert's misfortune extended into February before his planned road start at Opening Weekend. Last week, a stomach bug forced him to push back his 2026 season debut to Le Samyn.

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