"Don’t give Dirk too much sh*t for this" - Tiesj Benoot defends Visma mechanic after crucial bike mix-up in Tour of Flanders finale
CyclingMonday, 01 April 2024 at 10:30
Heading into the conclusion of Tour of Flanders 2024, whilst Mathieu van der Poel was a clear leader, the rest of the podium was still very much up for grabs. Tiesj Benoot was right in the mix too, at least until an untimely puncture.
"In the finale I unfortunately had a flat tire. Maybe otherwise I could have fought for a place on the podium, but that's how it is," he lamented in a post-race interview with the Team Visma | Lease a Bike official website. "It was a very hard day. We tried as a team, but unfortunately the competition proved too strong today."
To make matters worse for Benoot, when a quick change was necessary, the wrong bike was pulled off the car, leaving a humorous yet frustrating image of the 30-year-old Belgian attempting to ride the bike of his much larger teammate, Dylan van Baarle, before giving up and waiting for another bike.
As images of this quickly started doing the rounds on social media, Benoot used his official X (Twitter) account to defend the Team Visma | Lease a Bike mechanic. "Don’t give Dirk too much shit for this," Benoot writes. "He is one of the best mechanics I know and this was just an unfortunate moment following on a really hectic race. My other bike was already not on the car anymore following a mechanical on second time Kwaremont. Peace and love."
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santiagobenites08-01-2026 - however you frame it, it seems that they asked more from Ayuso (who obviously did not deliver the needed support) than they are asking from del Torro ... who - according to this quote - just needs to show up and can then ride however he likes.Ketterechts08-01-2026
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Don’t give Dirk too much shit for this. He is one of the best mechanics I know and this was just an unfortunate moment following on a really hectic race. My other bike was already not on the car anymore following a mechanical on second time Kwaremont. Peace and love ❤️
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