Wout van Aert out of Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix with broken collarbone and ribs

Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) has been ruled out of the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix after breaking his collarbone and several ribs in a nasty crash at Dwars door Vlaanderen on Wednesday.

The Belgian rider was involved in a big high-speed crash in the main group at the mid-week race, and was taken away in an ambulance.

Several other riders, including Lidl-Trek's Classics leaders Mads Pedersen and Jasper Stuyven, plus Intermarché-Wanty's Biniam Girmay, were also involved and taken out of the race.

"A broken collarbone and several broken ribs were diagnosed in hospital. It is unclear how long his recovery will take," read a statement from Visma-Lease a Bike on Van Aert after the race, which was won by their rider Matteo Jorgenson.

"He will definitely miss the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix and the Amstel Gold Race."

His spring campaign, in other words, is over, which will be a heartbreaker given he staked all his chips and tailored all his preparation towards the next two Sundays with Flanders and Roubaix.

The fall took place with 67km to go, as the main group of 30 riders made their way to the key climb of the Kanarieberg, and took down around a dozen riders all at once.

Van Aert crashed near the front of the group. As he sat up, it was clear that his race was over, with his jersey almost torn completely off his back.

Pedersen, a favourite for the Tour of Flanders after his Gent-Wevelgem victory on Sunday, returned to his bike but a couple of minutes after his crash and his current condition is unknown. Stuyven, though, runner-up at the E3 Saxo Classic, has a broken collarbone and is also out of the Tour of Flanders.