“That he can be beaten.” These were the first words of sports director Maarten Wynants during his analysis of Ghent-Wevelgem. ‘He’ is of course Mathieu van der Poel. “It seemed for a moment that he was going to pull another solo out of his hat, but we saw what everyone saw on the Kemmelberg. Mathieu remains a fantastic rider, but also a rider with limits,” said Wynants.
Did they gain confidence at Visma-Lease a Bike towards the Tour of Flanders? This must be considerably nuanced. Van der Poel could not release Mads Pedersen on the Kemmelberg – a similar slope to the Paterberg, but two days earlier in Harelbeke Van der Poel managed to loosen the Dane’s wheel a few times. Ghent-Wevelgem is also completely different from the Tour of Flanders in terms of route and intensity. In 2019, Van der Poel had to acknowledge his superiority in Wout van Aert at Kemmelberg for the last time, but a week later that was certainly no longer the case.
So it is not the case that Van Aert looked at his TV screen with gloomy eyes on Sunday afternoon. He was primarily concerned about Jan Tratnik’s situation. The Slovenian was the only Visma-Lease a Bike rider who had not fallen on Friday, but on Sunday he already fell to the ground before the passage through the Moeren. “Jan was not feeling well. He had fallen on his head and it looked bad for a moment. After five minutes he was able to get up and continue his way on his bicycle towards a caregiver’s car. His Tour is not in danger,” said Wynants.
Positive injury news. It is welcome to the Dutch team, because in Gent-Wevelgem Tosh Van der Sande also had to retire with a blocked back. The infirmary is overflowing. It is also the reason why Tratnik was at the start – not with full enthusiasm. “You start the spring with a core of ten to twelve riders, but with all that bad luck it becomes a puzzle in the long run. If we had had another bad day like Friday, I might have had to request my license,” Wynants jokes.
It will not be necessary, because Tiesj Benoot rode out of Ghent-Wevelgem. “Punishment. I wouldn’t have given a euro for Tiesj to get further than an hour. He has built up confidence,” says Wynants.
After his heavy fall in Harelbeke, Benoot only received the green light from the team doctor to race on Sunday morning. “My right side is completely open, my hip is swollen and my ribs on the left side are bruised or broken. I also hesitated about starting,” says Benoot.
In Benoot’s case that really means something. He would even want to race if he no longer had any feet. “They completely wrapped me in tape. I have had more pleasant days on the bike. I have felt every dip in the road, but my condition is certainly good. With two days of recovery, things should go better on Wednesday in Dwars door Vlaanderen.”
Who will not be at the start in Roeselare on Wednesday is defending champion Christophe Laporte. “Or half a miracle would have to happen,” says Wynants. Since retiring from Milan-Sanremo due to stomach problems and a buttock injury, Laporte has still not been able to cycle. If, contrary to expectations, the Frenchman were to start in the Tour of Flanders, it would not be with his best credentials. “We will decide whether it is worthwhile to field him in the Tour or whether he should perhaps try to train well this week and prepare for Paris-Roubaix,” said Wynants.
Things are going better with the other leader. Van Aert cycled 177 kilometers on Saturday at 32.8 km/h. His body appears to have been relatively spared after his fall in Harelbeke. Van Aert’s damage was still examined on Friday evening, including treatment by the osteopath, but it was mainly the abrasions on the hip that caused the most trouble. The stiff feeling on his right side has also disappeared. “No one has ever recovered after a fall, but Wout’s injuries are not too bad. On Saturday, just like Matteo Jorgenson, he was able to get that extra incentive the day after the race to rest for a while and digest the expected dip after his altitude training. From this week his condition will only increase,” says Wynants.
In contrast to previous years, Visma-Lease a Bike goes to the ‘holy’ Flemish cycling week without a winning mood. In Ghent-Wevelgem sprinter Olav Kooij was counted on. At Visma-Lease a Bike, they tried to speed up the pursuit of Van der Poel and Pedersen together with Soudal-QuickStep after the last passage of the Kemmelberg, but they had too little strength.
Wynants: “We could have used Tratnik there. Our remaining riders fought for what they were worth, but the two best rode ahead.”
Benoot: “I don’t understand why Intermarché-Wanty didn’t help. Girmay already won here, then you shouldn’t race for third place.”
In that sprint for third place, Kooij (sixth) did not perform well. “His legs were full,” said Wynants. “Things are not going well for us for the time being, but things can turn around quickly,” Benoot concludes.
