Wout van Aert (Visma - Lease a Bike) showed good form at Friday's Exact Cross stage in Mol, riding as an equal to Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin - Premier Tech), but a crash in the snowy conditions caused an injury to the Belgian that led to surgery today.
Visma–Lease a Bike announced that van Aert was diagnosed with a sprained ankle and a minor fracture, and his cyclo-cross season is over.
"Of course, I am very disappointed to end my cross season like this," said Van Aert. "I felt better and better and was really looking forward to the races in Zonhoven and the Belgian championships. But now I will focus on my recovery and later on preparing for the road season."
After the crash, which happened when van Aert was following van der Poel on an asphalt corner, there was blood on his right knee – the same knee he had seriously injured in a crash at the 2024 Vuelta a España.
The race in Mol was won by van der Poel, followed by Toon Aerts (Charles Liégeois - Deschacht) and Felipe Orts Lloret (Ridley Racing Team).
Lo que la nieve te da, la nieve te lo quita. 😫💥
— Eurosport.es (@Eurosport_ES) January 2, 2026
Caída de Van Aert que le descuelga definitivamente de Van der Poel, cuando soñaba con una victoria en el #Zilvermeercross. #ciclocross | #ExactCross pic.twitter.com/on3bYbnMVm
⚠️ATENCIÓN: ¡Máxima preocupación por el tobillo de Van Aert! El belga se estrelló cuando disputaba el triunfo del en Mol y se vio obligado a abandonar la carrera tras volver a lastimarse la misma pierna que en su caída de La Vuelta 2024.😱😥 📹 Eurosport https://t.co/Fo27mMROZC pic.twitter.com/gejRZZFIBG
— ⚡MazaCiclismo⚡ (@RuedaPedal) January 2, 2026
🇧🇪 #ExactCross
— Team Visma | Lease a Bike (@vismaleaseabike) January 2, 2026
What a battle. 👀 pic.twitter.com/SCV38dtKNa