"We had to use a lot of teammates for that chase" - Rune Herregodts locks in ZLM Tour GC despite a heavy late crash
Cycling
Rune Herregodts secured the overall victory in the ZLM Tour despite a fall. While Alexander Salby (Bingoal WB) is the surprising winner of the final stage, Herregodts had other things to worry about. Luckily his team was ready to leave everything on the roads for their leader.
"It was a day of contradictory feelings. In the beginning we knew that things were going to go sideways, and we didn't want to get caught out like yesterday. So today we were consistently at the front with four or five men," Herregodts begins his flash interview. "Many riders were done early and then we rode away with about ten guys. We did cooperate, but we also allowed the others to return for a sprint with Gerben Thijssen."
"But then everything suddenly turned around," continues the overall winner of the ZLM Tour. "A rider from Astana suddenly falls in front of me, I dive over him and I fall on my shoulder. Luckily I didn't break my collarbone, but when I got back on the bike the peloton was already gone. So from a very good situation with two strong riders at the front and a chance to win a stage, it was suddenly all hands on deck," says Herregodts.
Fortunately for Intermaché - Wanty, the race leader was able to return to the peloton, although this did not happen automatically. "We had to use a lot of teammates for that chase and that meant that Gerben no longer had the right support at the end. I also had some shoulder problems, which made it more difficult to accelerate after corners. I was still a bit afraid of the last few laps," says the Belgian.
"I want to thank the team, because they really helped me yesterday and today. The next goal will be the Tour of Belgium, but first let's see how things go in the coming days because I am a bit worried about my time trial position. The way I feel now, it seems difficult to get into the right time trial position. But for now I'm just going to enjoy this and we'll see how things go next week," he concludes.
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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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- He should have been allowed to go to Movistar. Right now both arent a good fit for each other and are just wasting each other's time and effortabstractengineer08-11-2026
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Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - i did not see it. was the relegation justified or an overly hard decision? and don‘t cross riders deviate from straight lines all the time? bumping into each others when they cut corners, etc … why being more strict with the rules on the finish sprint?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- seems like we are advertising the website with pointless comments…Ketterechts08-11-2026
- So?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- The UCI do have their favorites.
Front24208-11-2026 - On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- People see what they want to. I am actually the opposite of your accusation, probably more of a rebel than most of you who don’t get the big picture. The difference is, I don’t go moaning publicly about the consequences of my transgressions, I understand the need for rules and I take my OWN responsibility when deciding to ignore or break them or doing so involuntarily. I will also not hesitate to state my case or argue vehemently when relevant, sometimes it works, sometimes it makes things worse but that’s the price to pay for principles and having character.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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- Because for you deviated implies the other rider MUST have been made to fall and fail to finish ??? I don’t know if you ride a bike but next time someone carves you up or drives dangerously close, just hold back from those feelings of changing something, reporting or filming or even complaining. Everyone will just say, hey you’re still here undamaged, doesn’t seem like anyone did anything.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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🥇 𝘉𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘢𝘮 𝘎𝘪𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘺 🥇 𝘎𝘦𝘳𝘣𝘦𝘯 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘫𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘯 🥇 𝘎𝘦𝘳𝘣𝘦𝘯 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘫𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘯 🥇 𝘓𝘢𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘻 𝘙𝘦𝘹 🥇 𝘓𝘰𝘶𝘪𝘴 𝘔𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘫𝘦𝘴 🥇 𝘉𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘢𝘮 𝘎𝘪𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘺 🥇 𝘙𝘶𝘯𝘦 𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘰𝘥𝘵𝘴 🥇 𝙍𝙪𝙣𝙚 𝙃𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙚𝙜𝙤𝙙𝙩𝙨 1st stage race victory of 2024 🏆
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