Visma | Lease a Bike must lick its wounds after E3 and points fingers at the course: "Unbelievable"

This week, Visma | Lease a Bike finds itself in a tough spot. The Dutch team witnessed Per Strand Hagenes, Dylan van Baarle, Tiesj Benoot, and ultimately Wout van Aert crash in the E3 Saxo Classic, following Christophe Laporte’s earlier withdrawal due to illness. Team director Arthur van Dongen was disappointed with the outcome of the E3 Saxo Classic.

Hagenes (broken nose) and Benoot were particularly affected on Friday. The Norwegian crashed heavily on his face in the first hour of the race and had to be hospitalized. "On a new section of the course, which is unbelievable that it was included in the route..." the team director sighed. "The road they took in Waregem was a new part of the course, and it's definitely not an improvement."

"Everyone talks about safety in cycling, but then you should stay away from such areas," Van Dongen argues. "So many narrowings and obstacles on the road are completely unnecessary. On the ring road of Waregem, where that big crash happened. Unbelievable," reiterated the sports director of the Dutch squad. "But apparently, there are still safety managers who see the race differently than I do."

Visma | Lease a Bike needs to create a new plan

According to Van Dongen, the choice of tires wasn't the issue. "We often ride with this tire pressure in these weather conditions, so I don't think that was the problem. If you've raced yourself, you know that all sorts of minor maneuvers can lead to this kind of setback. Now, we need to lick our wounds and then make a plan for who will ride where."

Haganes definitely won't be starting in Gent-Wevelgem on Sunday, and Laporte is unlikely to appear after his illness. Benoot also had a hard fall, Van Dongen noted, adding that Van Baarle was experiencing some hip discomfort. Van Aert will certainly not be filling in, as he stated after the E3 Saxo Classic. The Belgian is sticking to his schedule, which means he will be taking it easier for a few days before resuming on Wednesday at Dwars door Vlaanderen.