Wout Van Aert withdraws from 2026 Tour de France after elbow infection worsens
The Belgian champion, a key domestique for Jonas Vingegaard, will not start the Grand Tour after an infection in a training-crash wound failed to heal in time.
The injury and infection
A training crash a few days before the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes left Van Aert with a deep elbow wound. He started the race and won stage five, but an unexpected infection forced his withdrawal the following day. The situation worsened over the weekend; by Monday he was in hospital where the wound was surgically cleaned and he stayed overnight under observation to prevent blood poisoning. Visma‑Lease a Bike trainer Mathieu Heijboer called it “a serious situation from which we prevented worse”.
- Van Aert crashes during training, sustaining a deep elbow wound.
- He wins stage five of Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.
- Infection develops; he abandon the race before stage six.
- Wound worsens over the weekend; Van Aert admitted to hospital.
- Surgical cleaning of the wound; overnight observation.
- Visma‑Lease a Bike announces Van Aert will not start the Tour de France.
- Tour de France begins in Barcelona with a team time trial.
Impact on Visma and Vingegaard
Van Aert was one of the most important riders in the team’s Tour lineup, having won 10 stages and the green jersey in 2022. His absence strips Jonas Vingegaard of a crucial lieutenant as the Dane seeks a third overall title. The team will name its final squad on 23 June; early candidates to replace Van Aert include Matthew Brennan, Ben Tulett and Per Strand Hagenes.
Van Aert’s reaction
This is of course a big disappointment. The Tour de France is one of my main goals every year.
Van Aert regretted that the crash “put a spanner in the works” and acknowledged that, after consulting the medical and performance staff, “starting the Tour in top form is not feasible at this point.” The team echoed that sentiment: head of racing Marc Reef said health came first after all options had been examined.
What comes next
Van Aert’s recovery is now the priority. His next scheduled race is the Vuelta a España in August. The Tour de France opens in Barcelona with a team trial on 4 July, a discipline in which Van Aert would have been a major asset. His withdrawal removes one of the sport’s most versatile stars from cycling’s biggest stage.
