Officials safely resume racing after a 15-minute stop and remove Knokteberg-Trieu and Hotond from the course
On Wednesday, officials neutralized the women’s peloton and shortened the course at Dwars, Porte Vlaanderen, due to a car accident before the race involving two vehicles from the men’s caravan.
Due to the location of the incident, organizers confirmed they had removed Knokteberg-Trieu and Hotond from the women’s course, shortening the race by around 20 km.
“The women’s race is currently neutralized due to an in-race accident with 2 cars in the men’s race. We do not have any further details at this time,” organizers said on their social media during the 129.9km women’s race.
The last news released a video following the car crash showing the men’s race medical car sideways in a roadside ditch and the Soudal-Quickstep team car open like a tin can.
Ronse firefighters were called to remove the race doctor from the car. The doctor was transported to Ronse hospital. His injuries are not life-threatening. The driver of the Soudal-Quickstep car was not injured.
The women’s race started at Waregem Hippodrome and the original route included nine climbs: Hellestraat, Volkegemberg, Berg Ten Houte, Kanarieberg, Knokteberg-Trieu, Hotond, Ladeuze, Nokereberg and Nokere before a 10km race to Waregem .
At the time of the caution, approximately 62km into the 129.9km race, a breakaway had formed with a slim lead of 17 seconds that included world champion Lotte Kopecky, Niamh Fisher-Black and Mischa Bredewold (all SD Worx-Protime), Elisa Longo. Borghini and Lizzie Deignan (Lidl-Trek), Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a bike), Audrey Cordon-Ragot (Human Powered Health), Arlenis Sierra (Movistar) and Thalita de Jong (Lotto Dstny Ladies).
As officials neutralized the race, the peloton regrouped on the side of the road and waited patiently for about 15 to 20 minutes, taking time to eat, drink fluids and put on jackets and gloves. before officials safely resumed racing.
Organizers confirmed that the two cars involved in the incident belonged to the men’s racing caravan. The women’s race was neutralized to allow emergency services to deal with the incident.
The race resumed with the peloton together 46 km from the finish. The organizers said that the lead group did not have a lead when the race resumed: “As the lead group’s lead was limited, the peloton started again in a closed form. »
They also confirmed that the route had to be changed and two mid-race climbs, Knokteberg-Trieu and Hotond, had to be removed, shortening the race by around 20km. The ascent resumed at the Ladeuze climb, located 38km from the finish.
Once the race restarted, a breakaway of six riders emerged including Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike), Elisa Longo Borghini and Shirin van Anrooij (Lidl-Trek), Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime), Letizia Paternoster (Liv Jayco). AlUla) and Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck).
Vos and Van Anrooij broke away from this group with 12km to go, and Vos won a duo sprint to claim his 250th career victory at Dwars door Vlaanderen.
