Wout van Aert's infected elbow turned out to be far more serious than previously thought, as his Visma-Lease a Bike team confirmed he underwent surgery to prevent the bacteria from causing a body-wide crisis called sepsis.
Sepsis occurs when the immune system overreacts to an infection, leading to a fever, increased heart rate and, if not treated, can lead to organ dysfunction and even septic shock, which can be deadly.
