"We were confident that he would not be beaten by his escape companions" - Visma | Lease a Bike DS was never in doubts over Wout Van Aert's victory at K-B-K
Cycling
Sports director Arthur van Dongen can look back on the opening weekend with satisfaction. Visma | Lease a Bike scored two out of two with Jan Tratnik on Saturday and Wout Van Aert on Sunday's Kuurne - Bruxelles - Kuurne.
Van Aert took off to a 90-kilometer breakaway with Tim Wellens and Oier Lazkano to be never caught again. "We rode a great race, Wout was super strong and finished it neatly," he said to WielerFlits after the 1.Pro race.
"The boys he was riding with said that he pushed hard on the cobblestone climb and made the difference there. He had good breakaway companions. With the wind at our backs it sometimes felt like a team time trial," said the Dutchman.
That Visma | Lease a Bike would choose Van Aert's card was never the question. "He was racing hard on the Côte de Trieu. We were confident that he would not be beaten by his escape companions. We were confident in the car," he continued.
Can things be better for the Dutch formation? "It can always be better. For example, you see that Tiesj Benoot is struggling. That's because he fell in Algarve, so there is also an apparent reason for that. That's going to be fine. Of course we have to stay sharp," says Van Dongen.
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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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