Cycling is an unforgiving business. Wout Van Aert is still lying in a hospital bed in Herental after the crash that ended his Classics campaign, but he has already begun to think about how the injuries he sustained in Dwars door Hlaanderen will affect the rest of the Belgian's season.

Van Aert was involved in a group crash on the approach to Canaryberg on Wednesday afternoon, breaking his collarbone, sternum, and ribs. That same evening, Vimalies a Bike announced that Van Aert would miss the Tour de Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, and the Amstel Gold Race.

Given the severity of the injury and the proximity of the Grande Partenza in Turin on May 4, Van Aat's planned Giro d'Italia debut must be in considerable jeopardy.

Van Aert's Giro entry was planned with the 2024 Paris Olympics in mind, but it remains to be seen whether Visma Lease-a-Bike will allow him to compete in the Tour de France if the Corsa Rosa becomes impossible.

Grisha Niermann, Sportif's general director, spent an hour with Juan Art in Herentals on Friday morning. Speaking to reporters in Ghent that afternoon, he acknowledged that Van Aart had undergone successful surgery on the fracture, but noted that it was premature to discuss a change in schedule, as he was still in the process of completing the rondo absence procedure.

"We always have a plan B," he said. But it's too early to think about a Plan B at this point,'' he said. Right now we are only thinking about when he will be able to return to his family. Once he's back on the bike, we can start talking about our next goal."

At this point, Niermann added, there is not even a rough timetable for Van Aat to resume training. 'I think it's up to the doctors,' he said. He has a couple of fractures. He's got a couple of fractures. He won't be able to ride his bike next Monday.

"Looking at Wout today, I don't think now is the time to talk about the next plan. He is still very sad and feeling sorry for himself that he crashed and missed these races."

Van Aert, Jasper Steuben, Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), and Biniam Girmay (Intermulce Wanty) were among those who fell as the group of contenders sped toward Canaryberg on Wednesday. The climb and subsequent steep descent had already been removed from the Tour de Flanders route due to safety concerns, but according to Niermann, Van Aert did not blame the course.

"Wout doesn't agree that that descent was very dangerous or that it caused the crash, so it's the organization's fault," Niermann said. 'It happened during the race and it was very tricky. But I definitely can't say that we took too many risks."

"The Flanders Classic is an organizer that does its utmost to ensure the safety of its racers. The roads here are by definition unsafe, but we are doing everything we can to make them as safe as possible."

Niermann spoke at the Visma Lease-a-Bike press conference before the Tour de Flanders. In his absence Sunday, Visma will be led by Dwars door Hlaanderen winner Matteo Jorgenson and teammate Tige Benoot, but the overwhelming favorite to win is Van Aert's archrival Mathieu Van der Pol (Alpecin Deceuninck).

Even before losing its leader, Visma's Classics division has had its share of bad luck in recent weeks. Christophe Laporte missed the Ronde due to illness, and the starting players have also been ill for the past few days. Dylan Van Baarle missed the Dwar door Vlaanderen due to illness, and Jan Tratnick abandoned the race because he had already crashed in Ghent-Wevelgem.

"I can say I have found seven people who are ready to race. One of them has a broken nose, one was sick Tuesday and Wednesday, and several fell last Friday..."

"When we made our plans in October and November, this was not the team we had in mind and definitely not the favorite to win on Sunday. But we have seven riders who are strong and motivated. We are going to fight as best we can."

Niermann's colleague Merijn Zeeman made a call of sorts after Primoš Roglic crashed early in the race, recalling how the team had rearranged its plans for the 2021 and 2022 Tour de France.

Jorgenson is most likely to take Jonas Vingegaard's role. The American rider, who has already won the Paris-Nice race earlier this month, underlined his suitability for the Flanders race with his victory in midweek in Waregem.

"In the history of the team, we have had many bad luck and accidents," Zeman said. 'In the 2021 Tour, when Primorsch crashed, we felt it was all over. I can name many moments where this happened, but we showed determination."

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