"I think he clipped my back wheel" - Tiesj Benoot feels guilt after Wout van Aert crashes out of Dwars Door Vlaanderen with broken collarbone
Cycling
Team Visma | Lease a Bike were rocked in a big way on Wednesday afternoon as Wout van Aert left Dwars Door Vlaanderen 2024 in the back of an ambulance after a hard crash. Speaking post-race, Tiesj Benoot detailed what exactly caused the incident.
“Our plan was to go to the Kanarieberg,” Benoot told Eurosport after finishing 4th with Matteo Jorgenson securing the win for Visma. “The Van Dijke brothers did a great lead-out towards the climb. Tim had finished his turn when they passed us on the left. Wout shouted at me to speed up, which I did. But I think he tapped my back wheel when I stood up. I feel really bad about it, to be honest. I hope he's okay, I don't know anything.”
Since Benoot's interview, more details have emerged on the condition of van Aert with the Belgian being diagnosed with a broken collarbone and broken ribs, sadly ruling him out of the upcoming Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix and the Amstel Gold Race.
For Benoot however, the race did continue and along with Jorgenson, they assured the day wasn't a complete write-off for Team Visma | Lease a Bike. “Afterwards I was a bit confused, but Matteo still went on the climb. That ultimately turned out to be a good decision. We played well in the final. Personally, I am also satisfied with my performance after my heavy fall on Friday (in the E3 Saxo Classic, ed.). It was again much better than in Gent Wevelgem," Benoot concludes. "But I am very disappointed about what happened to Wout.”
Read also
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
claps 7visitors 6
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...Dariusz08-11-2026
- Yeah, unreal.
parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
- That is a very lazy way of putting it but so far on this website it seems like everyone is happy to look at everything lazily, even things that annoy them intensely. All they want to do is state their feeling and position but ask most to analyse a problem or come up with solutions or improvements and you’re stunned by silence. Nobody even really knows how this all happens. It’s very simple and quick to just say the UCI did it but I bet you they didn’t, I bet you not more than 2 people were involved, more likely just 1. The UCI may be ultimately responsible but it is not their decision, this is about hierarchy, power and delegation. The fact that protest is possible also means it isn’t over and that MORE people could get involved for a thorough review which could throw up anything. It is highly likely it was a sole commissar who decided and has that power in a first round. Therein might lie the problem the UCI has to consider, is it acceptable to give so much authority to one single person when it is quite possible for them to have a natural bias or be too easily susceptible to imposed bias. Who is to say an individual in this position isn’t susceptible to collaboration with outside players with interests in the results, nations, families, teams, betting companies, etc. On the one hand we have sports where these problems have been worked on way more to reduce such problems, on the other hand we have sports with far stricter and more draconian rules not even concerning safety or obstruction that nobody really questions like false starts or stepping out of lane or zones in athletics. If cycling hastowork on itself, it would be good if protagonists (all kinds) would start doing a little more than just moaning over outcomes.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Yes, so why not make comments less pointless?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- What a race! I didn't expect Vanthourenhout to collapse like that, and Wyseure did take the fight to Nys, but there was no doubt at the end. I also wonder what Aubin Sparfel would be capable of were he to race in the elites now. In the U23 ranks he is making good work of Giel Lejeune, who himself is among the better riders in the elites, and a top 10 contender in the big races (3rd at Kleebergcross, 8th at Berencross and 5th at Heerderstrand). In the French Cup, Sparfel is significantly better than Romain Debord (8th at Koppenbergcross and 10th at the Euros) and Rémi Lelandais (12th at Koppenbergcross and 19th at the Euros).
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - There really was nothing in it. Schreiber was so much faster, and Brand was fighting to stay in the wheel in the sprint. Schreiber did move a bit, but to say she closed the door doesn't make sense because Brand couldn't enter it anyway, abd she wasn't impeded.Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026
- He should have been allowed to go to Movistar. Right now both arent a good fit for each other and are just wasting each other's time and effortabstractengineer08-11-2026
Loading
Update Wout van Aert: Unfortunately, Wout van Aert suffered several fractures in the crash at Dwars door Vlaanderen today. A broken collarbone and several broken ribs were diagnosed in hospital. It is unclear how long his recovery will take. He will definitely miss the Tour
1 Comments