And during this time? MVDP took advantage of a five-hour outing in Zeeland with young retiree Greg Van Avermaert to prepare for the Ronde. It was more or less 2 p.m. when Alpecin rider Deceuninck came home. And a good hour later, he was perhaps peacefully seated on his sofa. Since then, he must have congratulated himself on not having shown up at the start in Roeselare in the morning. Because he might have been in van Aert’s wheel at the time of the fall.
Yes but there you go, Mathieu van der Poel seems to have a sixth sense. On the bike, it rarely falls and almost never punctures. And outside of cycling, his preparation choices are often the right ones. As if he anticipated everything, all the time. A world champion in all circumstances.
But we’re not going to hide it: the Ronde has lost a good part of its appeal. We almost wonder if the other riders should start, as van der Poel’s victory seems written in advance. We will still try to get excited about the race for second place and the podium. Because at least there, the suspense remains intact.
Tiesj Benoot feels responsible for Wout van Aert’s fall: “I feel very bad”