Pro cycling is a roller coaster, as we often see. There are highs and there are lows. For Wout van Aert, it’s been a heckuva 24 hours. Not even a day after sprinting to victory, the 2026 Paris-Roubaix winner’s Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes has come to an abrupt end.
The Visma-Lease a Bike rider did not start Friday’s stage after ongoing issues with an elbow injury first sustained earlier this spring. According to directeur sportfit Maarten Wynants, the problem worsened after Thursday’s stage win.
Strange wound for Wout van Aert
“It has been a rollercoaster of emotions. Yesterday he came to the car during the ride with an elbow problem, which looked quite swollen,” Wynants told Wielerflits.
The team attempted to reduce the swelling overnight, but without success.
“The wound is not healing. It is a mystery to us why it is suddenly worse now than earlier this week,” Wynants said.
Wout van Aert will not appear at the start of stage 6 of Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes today. He is still experiencing significant discomfort in his elbow related to the crash he sustained last week. Wout will travel back to Belgium for further medical… pic.twitter.com/YFPtVVRrav
— Team Visma | Lease a Bike (@vismaleaseabike) June 12, 2026
Van Aert has returned to Belgium for further hospital tests. The timing is also not great.
“We look at this week with mixed feelings. He is happy with the win, but there are also concerns. This is not ideal towards the Tour,” Wynants said.
The mountains begin
Friday’s Stage 6, sans Wout, brings the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes into the mountains and the first real test for the GC contenders. The uphill finish at Crest-Voland should favour the climbers, with rising French star Paul Seixas, Isaac Del Toro, Matteo Jorgenson and Juan Ayuso among the riders expected to battle for victory.
There are two Canadians racing at the race formerly known as the Criterium Dauphine. Sainte-Perpétue, Que’s Hugo Houle (Alpecin-Premier Tech) is there, and was actually in the break for much of the day Thursday. Oakville, Ont.s’ Michael Leonard (EF EDucation Easy Post) is also racing, having been a key teammate to Frenchman Alex Baudin who currently leads the race. (Although whether he has it after Friday’s brutal day is a big ole TBD.)