The cycling spring 2024 was unfortunately – almost literally – turned upside down yesterday in Dwars Door Vlaanderen. In the dangerous run-up to the Kanarieberg, 70 kilometers from the finish, the riders suddenly fell over each other.
Victims
The main victim of the section that had just been removed from the Tour of Flanders due to the danger to the riders: Wout van Aert. The Belgian from Visma | Lease a Bike broke his collarbone, several ribs and his sternum.
A cross over De Ronde and Paris-Roubaix (and also the Amstel). It is still unclear how this will impact his Giro plans, but it is of course by no means a good preparation.
Jasper Stuyven is also a major victim of the massive fall. He broke his collarbone. Teammate Mads Pedersen from Lidl-Trek escaped ‘well’ with only abrasions. We will also not see Biniam Girmay in the Tour next Sunday.
Dirty
Sporza man on motorcycle Renaat Schotte saw it all happen up close. He was one of the first to arrive at the scene of the disaster.
Schotte is seasoned with many races that he has already beaten on the motorcycle, but was quite impressed by it.
“I’ve never seen such a crash live. It was just dirty. I was and still am not feeling well about it. Wout van Aert literally screaming in pain… You could feel everything: this is an end to the Tour and Roubaix. The entire peloton was upset, you could feel it,” Het Nieuwsblad notes.
Visma team leader Maarten Wynants was also quick with the car. “There were so many riders next to each other,” he says. “A truly cruel sight. And worst of all: you have to get in again and continue driving, because the race continues. You literally have to leave someone behind who is dying of pain.”
