Some good news for Wout van Aert fans. After he fractured his ankle on the second day of January, there was immediately some concerns that his Spring Classics campaign was in jeopardy.

But it sounds like been steadily rebuilding fitness, boosting his training intensity, and even attending an altitude camp in Sierra Nevada (although they have been stuck indoors the past few days due to some brutal snow.)

His brief ‘cross season came to an abrupt end after a crash during the snowy Zilvermeercross in Mol. Van Aert and long-time Mathieu van der Poel were having an amaaaazing battle, until the worst happened. Van Aert hit the deck hard on a snowy corner.

Hospital tests revealed an ankle fracture. “Of course I am very disappointed to have to end my cyclocross season like this,” Van Aert said. “I was feeling better and better, including today in Mol. I was really looking forward to the race in Zonhoven and the Belgian championships. But my focus will now be on recovery and, later on, the preparation of the road season.”

That recovery was quite quick. He thankfully managed to lose very little time in training.

That means Van Aert is scheduled to kick off his season at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. Although he could fit another Belgian classic into his schedule before traveling to Italy for Strade Bianche.

He may also race Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne, which Van Aert has previously won, or Le Samyn. While the Dutch squad has largely skipped Le Samyn in recent years, Visma told Wielerflits that may change this year.

“We’re mainly looking at that race as an opportunity for our younger riders, like Niklas Behrens and Per Strand Hagenes. I haven’t raced it myself, but it seems like a good challenge,” DS Grischa Niermann said. “But we haven’t made a final decision yet.”

For Van Aert, the race could provide an extra day of racing over a slightly uphill sprint finish. It’s a perfect race for him, and a good way to get some more hard race miles ahead of the Classics.

The team will confirm Van Aert’s participation in the coming weeks. “At the moment, only Omloop Het Nieuwsblad is definite for Wout,” Niermann said. “After that, we’ll decide if he will ride another race before Strade Bianche, whether that’s Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne or Le Samyn.”