Wout van Aert’s hopes of winning the UCI Gravel World title were wrecked mid-race after a crash and second mechanical problem left him several minutes behind the lead group.
Van Aert was one of the big-name favourites for the second edition of the Gravel World Championships in the Veneto region of northern Italy and was hoping to end his 2023 season with a rainbow jersey after a long series of prestigious but ultimately frustrating second places.
The Jumbo-Visma rider was mobbed by the Italian gravel fans at the start when he emerged from the team bus. He admitted he was nervous before the start but had a place on the front row of the start grid.
He was well-placed after an opening lap of the Le Bandie lake and then was part of an early selection of 25 riders. A first mechanical problem saw Van Aert dropped but he chased back on and was part of a group of 60 riders that went through the finish area Pieve di Soligo after 46 km.
However, a second problem proved more serious and cost Van Aert several minutes. At one point it was reported that he was 9:00 down on the front group and that his timing chip could have been damaged. However, Jumbo-Visma confirmed he had crashed and suffered a second mechanical problem. A photograph captured him repairing a front puncture.
After 96 km, at the second time through Pieve di Soligo, Van Aert was in a small chase group timed at almost 8:00. He took a bidon from a Jumbo-Visma soigneur and rode on but his hopes of a world title were over, as was his 2023 racing season.
🇮🇹 #Veneto2023Bad luck for Wout again, as he trails by a big margin after a crash. 😞90 kilometres left in the race. pic.twitter.com/okJyAOYGGwOctober 8, 2023
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