Everything seems to be ruined in one fell swoop. About 65 kilometers from the finish in Dwars door Vlaanderen there was a massive crash on the descent towards the Kanarieberg.
It is the dangerous sinking that has been removed from the Tour of Flanders. The speed was correspondingly, as was the impact of the blow, of course.
The list of victims was staggering: Wout van Aert, Jasper Stuyven, Mads Pedersen in Biniyam Girmay.
It seemed as if Van Aert hit the ground first, after which the domino effect began.
The tenors remained seated for several minutes and the severity of the crash was immediately clear.
Van Aert started to cry and remained dejected on the ground with a torn shirt. The stretcher was a bad sign. He broke his collarbone and some ribs.
Stuyven also sat on the asphalt for several minutes, clutching his collarbone — which is broken — and, like Girmay, had to be taken away. No fractures have been identified in the Eritrean.
Pedersen was still able to jump on his bike, but got off early and arrived at the team bus with painful wounds on his leg.