The peloton got underway in Antwerp, and into the neutral section of the race, Rui Oliveira of UAE Team Emirates-XRG had barely covered five metres before things already went wrong. A Jayco AlUla rider
cut across him, sending the Portuguese rider crashing in bizarre fashion into the barriers. Oliveira appeared to escape without injury, but it was certainly not the way he would have wanted to begin his Tour of Flanders