Through the marrow and bone: terrible crash in sprint mars Belgian women’s race

The Dutch Anne Knijnenburg won the first edition of the Cyclis Bike Lease Classic (UCI 1.2) on Wednesday, but the victory of the VolkerWessels rider was overshadowed by a massive crash in the sprint for third place.

Knijnenburg rode to the finish with Federica Venturelli in the final and managed to beat the Italian in a sprint-à-deux, good for her first victory of the season and in the VolkerWessels outfit. Then we had to look forward to the sprint for third place, but this was marred by a terrible crash.

Two riders became entangled with each other on the left side of the road, in full effort. The result turned out to be a domino effect, with many drivers hitting the asphalt at high speed. The screams of the fallen riders go through my bones.

Jesse Vandenbulcke, who eventually crossed the line in sixth place, barely managed to escape the massive fall. “I just crossed the finish line when I heard it cracking and screaming behind me,” she said The newspapaer. “I have personally experienced a serious fall just as many times in the past three years. Things like that really started to weigh on me.”

“It has been a mental focus in recent months to tackle the sprint without fear. How do I do this? By positioning myself as best as possible and especially by sitting at the front. I think that reduces the risk. Like today, which allowed me to prevent another tumble,” said the former Belgian champion.