One less teammate for Wout van Aert - Visma lose another rider for cobbled classics due to injury
Cycling
In 2024 Team Visma | Lease a Bike barely reached the cobbled monuments with any of their initially planned riders. It was a disaster situation with several of it's leaders either injured or ill, and 2025 has not started off the best way. After Dylan van Baarle's injury at the Tour Down Under and Christophe Laporte's illness, now Niklas Behrens will also miss the Opening Weekend due to a fracture suffered at the UAE Tour.
The Dutch team is losing riders yet again at an alarming rate and is already down three important men for Omloop Het Nieuwsblad this next Sunday. Behrens raced the UAE Tour and in the final day, was involved in a crash that also involved Chris Froome and Arvid de Kleijn. All three riders suffered fractured collarbones when the peloton hit a road divider that took many riders down and destroyed Froome's bike. Behrens, the under-23 World Champion, is in his under-23 season and has been racing in the Middle East, getting rhythm for what was supposed to be his European World Tour debut.
"Unfortunately, Niklas Behrens will not be at the start of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad this weekend. The German rider suffered a collarbone fracture in his crash during the UAE Tour and will undergo surgery," the Visma team shared. "After a short recovery period, Niklas will resume training. We wish him a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing him back in the peloton soon!"
Visma will have Wout van Aert at the start line, who will look to obtain a strong win to kick off his tally for the season. However, often the Belgian classic has a very open finale and it is not a race to have a sole leader. Matteo Jorgenson will start his season here and will be a very dangerous card, whilst the likes of Tiesj Benoot and Per Strand Hagenes will also be outsiders. Victor Campenaerts and Edoardo Affini will also be present next weekend in the first cobbled classic of the year.
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Niklas Behrens to miss Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
— Team Visma | Lease a Bike (@vismaleaseabike) February 24, 2025
Unfortunately, Niklas Behrens will not be at the start of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad this weekend. The German rider suffered a collarbone fracture in his crash during the UAE Tour and will undergo surgery.
After a short recovery period,… pic.twitter.com/LfaIR1IlMu
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