After Wout van Aert underwent successful surgery on his fractured ankle earlier this week, the hope is that he will be on track to join Visma-Lease A Bike at a February training camp ahead of a season debut in March.
The Belgian crashed and ended his cyclo-cross season early during the Exact Cross last Friday, fracturing a bone in his ankle. He underwent surgery on Saturday, with the good news being that his ankle tendons were unscathed, according to Het Laatste Nieuws.
Visma-Lease A Bike stated that, "We have communicated everything that needs to be communicated", though HLN reports that Van Aert will soon be able to return to the bike on a trainer.
The nature of his injury, with damage to his bone but not his tendon, means that Van Aert won't be able to walk or run comfortably, but it should be easier for him to sit and cycle.
Much of Visma-Lease A Bike, barring those riders at the Tour Down Under, will head to Spain next week for a training camp ahead of the 2026 road season.
According to Het Laatste Nieuws, Van Aert is expected to join his teammates. However, the team did not confirm the news.
"That's still unclear and will depend on his recovery. We're hoping for it, of course, but it's not yet certain," Visma stated.
Van Aert's schedule to start the road season was set to be announced next week, but his injury may postpone that announcement. He is, however, set to join a team training camp on Mount Teide in February.
His season debut is rumoured to come in March at Strade Bianche (March 7), a race he won in 2020, ahead of a full spring Classics campaign, including a stop at Tirreno-Adriatico (March 9-15).
Later in the spring, his focus will be on the twin Monuments of the Tour of Flanders (April 5) and Paris-Roubaix (April 12), with any Ardennes Classics participation up in the air. After the spring, he's set to race the Tour de France and, according to Het Laatste Nieuws, the Vuelta a España.
It remains to be seen when and where Van Aert will hit the road to start his racing season, though the latest signs are hopeful for his spring campaign to remain as planned.
