2024 is not the year of Visma-Lease a Bike. Wout van Aert’s withdrawal from the Vuelta is yet another blow for the Dutch team. It has already won 30 races this season, but its leaders have not raced more often than they have. An overview of Visma-Lease a Bike’s months of bad luck.
Bad luck ruins spring
Because luck has not been on Visma-Lease a Bike’s side this season.
Especially during the E3 Saxo Classic things weren’t going well. It started before the race, because Christophe Laporte couldn’t start due to stomach flu.
Early in the race Per Strand Hagenes literally fell away with a broken nose. Dylan van Baarle was also involved in a fall and played no significant role.
Tiesj Benoot, who had just recovered from a fracture in his sacrum, fell a little later and gave up.
Leader Wout van Aert also suffered. He fell on the Paterberg and was unable to keep up with eventual winner Mathieu van der Poel.
Double blow
In his next race Van Aert fell again, this time with more serious consequences. He crashed heavily in Dwars door Vlaanderen and the verdict was harsh: fractures in his collarbone, sternum and several ribs.
It fits in with the picture of the unfortunate spring for Visma-Lease a Bike. Dylan van Baarle, Christophe Laporte and Jan Tratnik had to cancel various races.
Bart Lemmen, revelation in the Tour Down Under, broke his collarbone in the Tour of Catalonia. Cian Uijtdebroeks also had to give up, also then due to illness.
The biggest blow to the team was the fall of Jonas Vingegaard in the Tour of the Basque Country. Just like Remco Evenepoel and Primoz Roglic, he fell at high speed.
For the Dane it became a race against time to be in top shape for the Tour de France, his big goal. The Dane spent some time in hospital to recover from, among other things, a contusion and a collapsed lung.
Jonas Vingegaard has been back on the bike since last week.
Lady Luck also works against the Giro and Tour
Then take revenge in the Giro d’Italia?
That had to happen without Wout van Aert. He was aiming for stage wins in the first Grand Tour of the season, but his injuries punctured those plans.
Van Aert was not the only one at Visma-Lease a Bike who had to cancel for the Giro d’Italia. Wilco Kelderman could not start due to a broken collarbone.
Koen Bouwman was allowed to replace him, but the 2022 king of the mountains fell ill.
Eventually the team did find 8 riders to start, but even in the Giro itself the bad luck does not stop. Already in stage 2 Robert Gesink dropped out with a broken hand.
Christophe Laporte, Van Aert’s replacement, also didn’t get to enjoy the Italian sun for long. The European champion crashed hard and gave up a few days later.
Visma-Lease a Bike also did not escape the Giro virus. Olav Kooij did not start in stage 10, and a day later Cian Uijtdebroeks did not start. Kooij’s stage victory on day 9 was a poor consolation for the team.
Uijtdebroeks had to leave the Giro as leader in the youth classification.
Bad luck followed Visma – Lease a Bike in France too. In the Dauphiné Dylan van Baarle and Steven Kruijswijk fell. They both suffered fractures and would have to miss the Tour.
That was also the case for Sepp Kuss. In the Dauphiné, the American was already a shadow of his former self. He ultimately did not make the selection for the Tour because he had not recovered sufficiently from a Covid infection.
Jonas Vingegaard was there in the Tour. After a race against the clock he finished 2nd at a considerable distance behind Tadej Pogacar.
No improvement after the Tour either
Visma-Lease a Bike also had little luck in the last major round.
Already in the 2nd stage, the yellow formation lost Dylan van Baarle. The Dutchman has a broken hip after a fall. Last Sunday, the team also had to cancel Cian Uijtdebroeks, who was just getting better, in Spain due to corona.
Last week there was also bad news to be had in the Renewi Tour for Olav Kooij. The speed demon made a hard fall in the ditch and had to give up. Two days ago Tom Gloag broke both elbows during a training ride.
And then the biggest moment of bad luck of this summer was yet to come: Wout van Aert, leader in the points and mountain jersey, was again not spared from disaster. Felix Engelhardt, Van Aert’s predecessor, misjudged a slippery bend and rode into the scenery.
Visma-Lease a Bike and WVA paid the bill (again).
Related:
