"It's a pity that Tiesj Benoot crashed and Ben Tulett got caught in the cold" - Bad luck plagues Visma again at La Fleche Wallonne 2025

Not for the first time over the last couple of years, Team Visma | Lease a Bike were plagued by bad luck at La Fleche Wallonne 2025. In the end, Tiesj Benoot crossed the line as the team's best placed rider, securing a 12th placed finish, 26 seconds down on the eventual race winner Tadej Pogacar.

"It was a tough race. That was not only because of the course, but also because of the rain and the cold," reflected Team Visma | Lease a Bike's sports director Arthur van Dongen in his post-race summation for the team's official website afterwards. "The controlling teams rode a tight pace all day, which is why a lot of guys had to drop out early. Nevertheless, I thought we were well in the race. It's a pity that Tiesj crashed and Ben Tulett got caught in the cold. That Tiesj still managed to join the front group, is admirable."

It wasn't all doom and gloom however, as youngest rider in the race Jorgen Nordhagen made an impressive showing of himself before eventually coming home in 25th. "Jorgen rode a good race," Van Dongen adds happily. "That he started the final climb of the Mur de Huy in a select group promises something for the future. All in all, we had hoped for more today, but there are enough identifiable reasons why we failed to take a top-ten classification."