"Something I can build on for the big races to come" - John Degenkolb upbeat despite 'bad luck' at Dwars Door Vlaanderen

The 2024 edition of the Dwars door Vlaanderen was one that many will remember for a long time. Particularly due to a serious mass crash that put a spanner in the works for some of the race favourites and took some out of the race with broken bones.

DSM-Firmenich Post NL got off to a good start in the race when Niklas Märkl joined a breakaway group early on. Good teamwork had put him in this position, but Märkl had to leave the group again due to a mechanical problem. Nils Eekhoff was taken out of the race due to a crash.

In the end, it was German John Degenkolb and his teammate Casper van Uden who kept the team's hopes alive by finishing in a good position. However, there was a serious incident that threw van Uden far back, so that in the end Degenkolb, who was able to steer safely through the chaos, was able to finish the race in a solid 20th place as the best of the team. After the race, John Degenkolb commented on the team site:

"Today was a super hectic edition of the Dwars door Vlaanderen with stress and chaos right from the start. We did a good job at the beginning, kept calm and Niklas did an excellent job when he joined the breakaway. Unfortunately, he later had a mechanical problem and dropped out of the group, which might have cost us a good result. We also lost Nils in a crash, which was also very unfortunate. Casper and I were still in a good position when the bad crash happened. While Casper was held up, I managed to avoid the crash and tried to stay in the group as much as possible. In the end, I sprinted to a solid 20th place, which is okay considering my performance in Gent-Wevelgem, where I didn't feel so good. So at least that's something I can build on for the big races to come."