Heavy crash in Dwars door Vlaanderen: Tour in danger for Van Aert and Stuyven

In the descent towards Kanarieberg, just under 70 kilometers from the finish, a group of riders crashed at high speed. Main victim: Wout van Aert, who was writhing in pain. Biniam Girmay, Jasper Stuyven, Mads Pedersen and Gianni Vermeersch were also on the asphalt.

Van Aert clutched his collarbone and was badly grazed on his shoulder and back. Tears flowed from the leader of Visma-Lease a Bike. Just like Stuyven, second in the E3 Harelbeke last week, he was taken away in an ambulance. “Let’s hope he’s okay,” Team Visma-Lease a bike posted on social media.

Van Aert had also crashed last Friday in the E3 Saxo Classic, when entering the Paterberg. He was left with several wounds on his right side, near the hip and elbow. The bad luck for the troubled Visma-Lease a Bike continues. Earlier in the match, Van Aert’s teammate Jan Tratnik also had to retire.

Mads Pedersen, the winner of Gent-Wevelgem on Sunday, did get on his bike, but also left the race a little later. And so next weekend’s Tour of Flanders already seems to have been decapitated.

Clash with Benoot

Despite all the bad luck, Visma-Lease a Bike was able to console itself with the victory on Wednesday. Matteo Jorgenson won solo, after excellent preparatory work by Tiesj Benoot. After the finish, the latter’s thoughts were mainly with Van Aert.

“We were doing the lead-out for the Kanarieberg and they asked me to speed up,” Benoot testified about the crash in question. “I think Wout stood up and then touched my rear wheel. I actually feel pretty bad about it.”

Winner Jorgenson almost crashed himself and encouraged Van Aert in his flash interview. “I was on Wout’s wheel because it was a decisive moment in the race,” said the American. “It was a ‘race incident’, with our and Lidl-Trek trains coming together. I think Wout and Alex Kirsch touched each other.”

“It was a very nasty crash, I knew immediately that we had lost Wout because we were driving so fast. Tiesj and I continued with the plan, because it was still racing. However, my thoughts were and are with Wout and the others involved. I hope everyone is okay, we’ll have to wait for more news. Will I now become leader in the Tour? Let’s hope not.”