Visma can't give Kooij a birthday present at Tour of Holland: "The cyclists felt it was too much"

Team Visma | Lease a Bike had hoped to celebrate Olav Kooij's birthday and have a lively stage with Christophe Laporte in the fight for the overall in the Tour of the Netherlands, but the day in Zuid-Limburg came to an abrupt end after the opening kilometers. The race was stopped after a serious incident with a car and the peloton decided not to continue.

"Near Gulpen, a car passed through the race area twice and ended up entering the peloton, which almost led to crashes among the cyclists. At that point, some of the riders said: this is as far as we've come," explained Arthur van Dongen, Visma's sports director, in conversation with In de Leiderstrui.

The Dutchman regretted the outcome of the stage. "It's a shame for the race, because Limburg is always a sporting spectacle. I've been a director for 33 years and I always get excited when there are races in this region, they're always beautiful races in which the strongest stand out. To see that disappear like this is not good. Neither for cycling nor for those who live cycling in Limburg."

Despite his frustration, Van Dongen considered the decision to be the right one. "Safety always comes first. Stopping was the right decision when the cyclists felt it was too much."

"I've experienced other stages that have been canceled, this isn't the first time, but it's still sad. I trust that over the next two days, in other regions with more controlled circuits, everything will go well and that the race can end in a dignified manner."

The experienced director identified a critical point for the future. "We need to rethink these races. It's increasingly difficult to organize races in certain areas and closed circuits are easier to control and monitor. With a one-way system, a lot of confusion is avoided."

It was precisely the lack of this control that led the cyclists to reject the idea of heading towards Watersley, one of the alternatives on the table. "The riders questioned the safety of the local laps, as there was no one-way traffic there either. That made it riskier."

Even with the disappointment of the cancellation, Van Dongen preferred to leave a note of hope. "We have to turn the negative into a positive. I hope that local politics will get involved and that some people will wake up to the importance of safety. Still, it's a bitter day for such a beautiful project. In the next two stages we'll try to put up as much of a fight as possible."

The Team Visma | Lease a Bike coach was nonetheless optimistic about the potential of the Tour of Holland. "I know how complex it is to organize a race. I see this episode as a youth problem. The organization has shown that it has the will and is open to constructive criticism. From there, it's possible to grow and take important steps towards a promising future."