Oudenaarde (dpa) – The Belgian top favorite Wout van Aert has tested positive for Corona and will therefore be canceled for the Tour of Flanders on April 3rd, the professional cyclist announced on the Twitter account of his Jumbo Visma racing team.
The failure had already been indicated the day before when van Aert felt unwell. The former cross world champion was the big favorite to win the spring classic, which is considered a national holiday in his native Belgium. Van Aert was in excellent shape this year, winning the two one-day races Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and the E3 Prize and also convincing in the Paris-Nice tour.
The day before he woke up with a sore throat, and two quick tests then showed a positive result. Finally, two positive PCR tests brought the end. “The good news is that I only have mild symptoms. This increases my hope that I can recover quickly and return to competition,” said van Aert. The Dutchman Mathieu van der Poel and Tour de France
Champion Tadej Pogacar from Slovenia should now have the best chance of victory.