There had been gasps and cries of horror when rookie Wout van Aert got caught in the barriers and was taken away in an ambulance. Alaphilippe sent him special wishes from the podium. Van Aert suffered injuries to his right leg and blood could be seen gushing down his thigh. An ambulance took him to a local hospital where he underwent surgery.

Van Aert has been recovering in a hospital in Belgium post-surgery and has finally been released, 14 days since the crash.

The Belgian had powered ahead of top sprinters Elia Viviani and Caleb Ewan during stage 10 for the win a few days before the incident.

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Houdoe 👋🏼♿️ #HomeSweetHome pic.twitter.com/K0PssG8l9R

— Wout van Aert (@WoutvanAert) July 31, 2019

🇫🇷 #TDF2019@WoutvanAert talks about his crash and his injury

“It’s going well considering the circumstances, although the disappointment is really big.”

— Team Jumbo-Visma cycling (@JumboVismaRoad) July 20, 2019

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Photos: Bettini