We have wondered whether Visma | Lease a Bike would repeat their dream 2023 campaign but as the old saying goes; hardest fall is from the greatest heights. The team continues to fall even deeper into despair than what seemed like a rock-bottom when Visma lost Jonas Vingegaard and Wout Van Aert for most of spring after spring crashes.
The blows just keep coming. Last month it was the wave of abandons at Giro d'Italia, and now a new disaster struck at Critérium du Dauphiné. The support crew with Americans Sepp Kuss and Matteo Jorgenson in their ranks was fine-tuning final details when a crash on slippery roads caused the peloton to stop. Multiple teams needed two hands to count victims of the crash and Visma | Lease a Bike was no exception.
While the American leaders escaped unharmed, their teammates Dylan van Baarle and Steven Kruijswijk - both in the preliminary selection for Tour de France - weren't as lucky. "Following the big crash today, Dylan van Baarle and Steven Kruijswijk were taken to the hospital. Examinations revealed that Dylan has fractured his collarbone and will need surgery. Steven has a small fracture in his hip that will heal with rest," the team confirms in a brief press communicaton.
It almost feels as if it wasn't to be for Jonas Vingegaard's dream of Tour de France hattrick to be fulfilled. Of the preliminary eight, three riders are recovering from their injuries earlier this year, while another two names were just crossed out from the flight to Firenze. "We’re very disappointed to report that we will have to miss both riders at the Tour de France. We wish them all the best for their recovery."
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