Sjoerd Bax criticizes Filip Maciejuk for crash in Tour of Flanders - "What the f*ck is happening here?"

Tour of Flanders was yet another opportunity for Sjoerd Bax to bask in his team's success in 2023, thanks in no small part to the determined efforts of Tadej Pogacar.

The road to the finish line was far from easy. The race was marred by several major crashes, turning it into a test of survival. Fortunately for Sjoerd Bax, luck was on his side, though his teammate Tim Wellens was not so fortunate, as he suffered a broken collarbone in a serious accident that was caused by a reckless move from Filip Maciejuk.

The video of the crash made a huge impact on social media, quickly becoming a sensation and drawing a lot of attention. The other riders in the peloton did not hold back in their condemnation of the Bahrain Victorious cyclist's behavior, and Sjoerd Bax was equally forthright in expressing his own views on the incident.

"Everything went reasonably according to plan . It was unfortunate to lose Tim in that big crash. That such crashes happen, that's unfortunate," he told wielerflits.He didn't hold back his criticism of the Polish rider who caused his teammate to be eliminated from the race. "In the beginning you still think - sorry to say - of, 'What the f*ck is happening here?' Someone jumps over something, gets hooked and takes everyone with them. You often see that pass in the highlights then. But it's not a highlight. Actually, it's retarded."

Crossing the finish line in 68th place didn't dampen Sjoerd Bax's spirits, as he was extremely pleased with how he had performed. "I had a great day! I was able to compete well. I think I rode about my best Flemish race of this spring. I had a bit of trouble positioning myself until De Ronde, but that went a lot better on Sunday. I was able to do my thing well and so did the rest of the team. I'm really happy with that, though,” concluded the Dutchman.