🚴🇪🇸 | Problemen voor Wout van Aert. De Belg staat met pech langs de kant samen met Per Strand Hagenes en moet in de achtervolging! #ClásicaJaén 📺 Koers kijk je op discovery+
🎥 Van Aert abandons in Jaén Paraiso after flat tire on very first gravel section, caused by a nail
CyclingMonday, 12 February 2024 at 20:43
Wout van Aert began Monday as one of the top favorites in the Clasica Jaén Paraiso, but at the very first gravel section, disaster struck immediately. The 29-year-old Belgian suffered a puncture right at the beginning of the gravel stretch, setting him back irreversibly.
At the fifty-kilometer mark, as the peloton encountered the first stretch of olive road on the course, misfortune befell Van Aert. The Belgian experienced an immediate puncture, received a spare tube, but found himself embarking on a lengthy pursuit alongside Tim van Dijcke and Arnaud De Lie.
"Right as I entered the gravel section, I got a flat tire. The team manager informed me that there was a large nail in my tire. Unfortunately, that's the type of flat you can't do much about," Van Aert explained to HLN after returning to the team bus. "The race blew apart the moment I had the flat. There wasn't much sense in having Sepp (Kuss) and Jan (Tratnik) wait for me. I still made an effort, but it was futile. I stayed with Tim (van Dijke) for a while, and on that climb, I attempted to bridge the gap. However, when that proved unsuccessful, I knew it was all over."
Lees verder onder de video van Eurosport.
Kuss, Wellens, and Tratnik create chaotic start to the race
Certainly, the race start was immediately chaotic, as numerous riders saw opportunities in forming the day's breakaway. At various points, Vuelta winner Sepp Kuss and Marc Soler launched attacks, followed by moves from Tim Wellens, Ben Turner (last year's runner-up), and Visma | Lease a Bike riders Jan Tratnik and Per Strand Hagenes. Both UAE Team Emirates and Van Aert's Dutch team attempted to place their riders in the breakaway, but ultimately only Tadej Pogacar's team succeeded.
Indeed, at the seventy-kilometer mark, as the broadcast began, five escapees remained: Spanish super-talent Igor Arrieta representing UAE, along with national champion Oier Lazkano (Movistar), Frenchman Nicolas Prodhomme (Décathlon AG2R), Ecuadorian Jefferson Cepeda (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA), and Alex Molenaar (Illes Balears Arabay Cycling), who has already demonstrated his breakaway prowess several times this season. The quartet at the front proved to be no pushovers, and Visma | Lease a Bike quickly recognized this. In support of Van Aert, the team took charge of the race, prompting the riders in the breakaway to increase their pace as well. However, this proved to be too much for Molenaar.
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Latest Comments
- Van Aert is really handsome. He can influence me all day! Ditto for Philipsen. Why do you think many of us love cycling?: to see heroic attempts at climbing mountains at high altitudes or to watch speedsters sprint for the finish line or to watch a human being ride at break neck speed down a tricky descent? No, it's all about their lean physiques and muscular legs. (apologies for objectifying these dedicated and amazing athletes).BarwonHeadsUp25-10-2024
- It is unfortunate that the author can't feel the joy that Pogacar brings to the sport and his fans who are legion and I for one feel lucky to have watched such a memorable performance and historic season From the Strada until yesterday with multiple wins in stages in both tours and beyond dominance in the World's. He is proud to wear the Rainbow stripes, shows his leadership to protect his fellows and is as courteous and sportsman-like as the sport allows. He goes early to not have to respond to each attack as all the rest would make him do it. Any racer who could would do the same. Don't "grow tired" of greatness as it is always fleeting.ccrider13-10-2024
- What load of rubbish. Pog is likely a once in a generation cyclist, the like of which hasn't been seen since 'the Cannibal '. How many people were complaining that Merckx was making racing predictable? I remember this year's World RR as one of the most exciting I've watched. Mainly BECAUSE Pog was the favourite and launched what everyone thought (Pog included) was a suicidal attack with 80km to go. For the next 2 hours, I was on the edge of my seat thinking "this is too much, even for Pog". Maybe Zonnefeld prefers the snooze-fest that is a bunch sprint? Like most people I know, I can't watch two hours of the bunch riding very fast... I wait for the final 5km and watch just the sprint. In any event, most races are won from a sprint or lone break. What difference does it make who makes the lone break? Ultimately, the other contenders will have to figure out a way to beat Pog. Even if that means collaboration between teams. It's going to be an exciting few seasons, until the next Pog arrives on the scene. If this is boring, heaven knows what exciting looks like!Michael513-10-2024
- This is not a gravel race. UCI fail, from the surface they are on to team tactics. In what country was the first "gravel race" in what country is the most popular gravel race? Go with the race model that created the discipline.
Barnes127411-10-2024 - And don't forget he has now won 4 of the big 10 races (Grand tours, Monuments and WC/OG) in one year with a chance to make that 5. (5 has only been done once before)Joostmehrtens05-10-2024