Sunday was not Wout van Aert’s lucky day. As we reported in our updated Men’s Elite Race report, Van Aert dropped his chain twice, crashed, and then flatted on the last lap. One of the spectators, appearing as if he was at the event from the Bio Racer clothing line judging by the introduction, caught the scene on his phone.
The chain drops might have mentally taken toll on the young Belgian. From the video, it is clear that the crash is not just a matter of aggressive riding. Van Aert approaches the muddy corner on the inside, and then overcompensates by steering directly from his handlebars instead of his hips. The result is what you see on the video above.
He was able to get back up, but there is clearly a slight limp in his leg. It is astonishing that he was able to chase back on for second place and turn in some of the fastest late race lap times, especially when one considers that he rode part of the last lap with a flat tire.
