"This is also racing in Flanders" - Merijn Zeeman looks back at rollercoaster of emotions for Visma-LAB at Dwars door Vlaanderen
Cycling
It was a day with two faces for Visma | Lease a Bike. Matteo Jorgenson won Dwars door Vlaanderen, but leader Wout van Aert had fallen very hard. The Belgian suffered several fractures and will miss his big goals this spring and the Giro d'Italia start is in danger too. Manager Merijn Zeeman talked to WielerFlits about the wild day afterwards.
"One moment it is terrible to see the crash of Wout and those other boys, the next moment a rider crosses the finish line with his hands in the air," Zeeman summarizes. "They are extremes."
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"This is also racing in Flanders. We don't race that much, so you also have to ride a few races to complete the finishing touches. That was also the case for Wout. Is it bad luck? This has been happening for as long as cycling has existed. It is very intense, but it is incredibly acidic."
The fall took place on the descent towards the Kanarieberg, a section of the race that has already been removed from the Tour of Flanders for safety reasons. Does this descent still belong in Dwars door Vlaanderen? "There are more sections where it goes incredibly fast, where we drive to crucial points. Then things often go just fine. I can't see it that way," Zeeman responds. "But it is always good when there is a discussion about safety."
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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🇧🇪 #DDV24 Today’s 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬. 🏆 Proud of you both! 🤝🏼
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