"This is also racing in Flanders" - Merijn Zeeman looks back at rollercoaster of emotions for Visma-LAB at Dwars door Vlaanderen

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."

"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."