Wednesday, March 27, 2024 at 6:33 PM
Video It was a day with two faces for Visma | Lease a Bike. Matteo Jorgenson won Dwars door Vlaanderen, but moments before Wout van Aert had fallen very hard. The Belgian suffered several fractures and will miss his big goals this spring (the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix). Merijn Zeeman, sporting manager at the Dutch formation, appeared in front of the camera afterwards with ‘double feelings’. CyclingFlits.
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“One moment it is terrible to see the crash of Wout and those other boys, the next moment a rider crosses the finish line with his hands in the air,” Zeeman summarizes. “They are extremes.”
At the time of the interview it was not yet known that Van Aert had suffered several fractures, but Zeeman called Van Aert’s absence in the run-up to the Tour of Flanders a ‘huge setback’. “We’ll have to get everything together in the coming days. Tiesj Benoot rides very strongly, Matteo wins. We will make a new plan for that.”
Not only Van Aert, but also some other favorites for the Tour of Flanders were involved in the massive fall. Biniam Girmay, Mads Pedersen and Jasper Stuyven, among others, fell. It seems to be a risk to start in Dwars door Vlaanderen four days before the Tour of Flanders. “That’s right, but it could also happen in Gent-Wevelgem or the E3 Saxo Classic,” said Zeeman.
“This is also racing in Flanders. We don’t race that much, so you will also have to ride a few races to complete the finishing touches. That was also the case for Wout. Is it bad luck? It’s a price situation. This has been happening for as long as cycling has existed. It is very intense, but it is incredibly acidic.”
Descent towards Kanarieberg
The fall took place on the descent towards the Kanarieberg, a section of course that riders often describe as dangerous. The passage has already been removed from the Tour of Flanders for safety reasons. Does this descent still belong in Dwars door Vlaanderen? “There are more sections where it goes incredibly fast, where we drive to crucial points. Then things often go just fine. I can’t see it that way,” Zeeman responds. “But it is always good when there is a discussion about safety.”
Zeeman calls it ‘unbelievable’ that Visma | Lease a Bike managed to win the race, despite the team experiencing many setbacks in recent weeks. That also gives hope for what is yet to come. “We are going to switch things up again from now on. Matteo shows that he is one of the favorites for Sunday.
