“Everyone was a bit shocked" - Stefan Küng admits peloton was rocked by crash of pre-race favourites at Dwars Door Vlaanderen

Stefan Küng was able to take an impressive and positive, podium finish at Dwars Door Vlaanderen 2024. It's fair to say though, that this race will mostly be remembered for a mass crash that took out most of the pre-race favourites.

Kung himself was able to avoid the incident but was aware of the severity. “It was very hectic in that phase before the crash. During that descent, I moved up and I heard the fall happen behind me,” the Swiss explained in his post-race interview. “Everyone was a bit shocked, but then Matteo Jorgenson opened the final."

Notable riders such as Wout van Aert, Mads Pedersen, Jasper Stuyven and Biniam Girmay all hit the deck incredibly hard. For Kung and the remainder of the riders however, the show went on and there was still a race to be won. “Sometimes a fall like that goes through your mind, and then some of you end up in the gutter somewhere. It can happen so quickly..." he continues. "I have been riding these races for ten years now, and only in the last two years do I remember crashes there. It's hard to avoid because there's always a big road before a narrow road. That is part of cycling, but not a part we like to see.”

In the end, Kung found himself in the leading group heading into the finale, taking a creditable third-placed finish. "I may have been the best in the race, next to Jorgenson and Benoot, but it was impossible to win here. They are both very strong," he assesses in conclusion. "Then it's two against one, and the rest were looking at me, because they're on the limit. Then it becomes very difficult.”