Crash overshadows Visma | Lease a Bike as Van Dongen rues Kielich injury
CyclingSunday, 29 March 2026 at 19:23
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Follow us on GoogleVisma | Lease a Bike left In Flanders Fields with reasons for encouragement, but also with a major concern after Timo Kielich crashed out and broke his collarbone. Christophe Laporte still salvaged a podium place for the team, while Wout van Aert showed encouraging form, yet sports director Arthur van Dongen made clear afterwards that Kielich’s injury was what stayed with him most.
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Speaking after the race, Van Dongen said the team could be satisfied with how its leaders performed across the weekend. He pointed to Per Strand Hagenes on Friday and to Laporte and Van Aert on Sunday as signs that Visma | Lease a Bike’s main cards are in good shape.
But he also stressed that Kielich’s crash cast a shadow over the day, saying he had seen many crashes before, yet this one stood out because the Belgian was clearly in serious pain. Kielich has since been reported as having suffered a broken collarbone, a blow the team expects to feel over the coming weeks.
Continue reading below the photo.
Timo Kielich dropped out with a broken collarbone.
Van Dongen hoping Brennan can recover in time for the Monuments
Van Dongen also reflected on the team’s race situation after the Plug Streets, where Visma | Lease a Bike were left with only two riders in the front group. He explained that both Kielich and Laporte had been earmarked for that phase of the race, and that losing Kielich at that moment reduced the team’s tactical options. Even so, he still felt Edoardo Affini had done his job well, while Van Aert and Laporte gave the squad something to build on in the final.
here was also an update on Matthew Brennan. Van Dongen said the team knows exactly what is going on with the young Brit and described his recovery as a matter of patience. Brennan fell ill in Italy, missed Milan-Sanremo, and was still feeling the after-effects in Wevelgem after spending several days on antibiotics.
Continue reading below the photo!
Christophe Laporte finished third.
Van Dongen: ‘Don't compare apples to oranges’
So it came down to Van Aert and Laporte in the final, with the former pushing the pace on the Kemmelberg and eventually breaking away with Mathieu van der Poel. ‘Did I hope that Mathieu would ride more with us because he did that two years ago with Mads Pedersen? Well, no. They just played it very well at Alpecin-Premier Tech.’
‘They still had Jasper Philipsen there and we had Christophe Laporte, but no Matthew Brennan. If Matthew had been there, that would have been the perfect situation for us too. But Matthew wasn’t quite ready yet after his illness, so let this be an investment for the upcoming races.’
Van Dongen has said it before: “It doesn’t count” for him. “You can’t compare races, even though everyone is doing just that. On Friday I read that Van der Poel had shown weakness... You can’t compare apples to oranges, and that goes for the E3, Wevelgem, and on Wednesday, Dwars door Vlaanderen as well. And then also for Flanders and Roubaix,” he concludes.
Tom van der Salm (27) comes from the charming town of Zeilberg (Deurne) in the Netherlands and has been working as editor-in-chief & journalist at IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, In de Leiderstrui, since 2019. He travels with the peloton from the Tour de France to the AlUla Tour and from the World Championships in Rwanda or Canada to the Zilvermeercross in Mol. In his spare time he enjoys playing football, mountain biking, running, walking with his Labrador/Stabyhoun, investing, holidays, (specialty) beers, reading, cooking and watching sports & documentaries!
Contact: [email protected]
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Latest Comments
- - How long was the final lap climb actually? The article says short, but it looked like repeated 8–10% ramps. Is there a profile link?robert6529-09-2026
- - Tiny correction: Matthews is more than a “sprinter-type,” he’s a puncheur-sprinter who lives for these lumpy circuits. He was always going to be in the mix here.andrewf29-09-2026
- - Van der Poel’s first surge at 85k to go looked terrifying. Thought it was Flanders all over again. Credit to the peloton for not panicking.pedalpowe2929-09-2026
- - Lance calling out Gianetti made me laugh. Bit rich given the history, no? Still, he’s right that teams sometimes overlook a rider’s best role—McNulty’s been clutch in one-week stage races and now this.cadencekingm29-09-2026
- - Can someone explain why UAE don’t always take McNulty to the Tour? If he’s this good, wouldn’t he be perfect as a domestique on the high mountain and TT stages?julien29-09-2026
- - Interesting take from Lance on the course favouring the stronger, punchier guys rather than pure climbers. You could see it in how Del Toro and Seixas cracked late. Brutal lap profile.jeremya29-09-2026
- Grande noticia, pero me preocupa el riesgo antes de Lombardia. Better to target Tour Down Under? Aunque si corre en casa… corazón manda.breakawaybikerd29-09-2026
- I don’t quite get the difference between Worlds and Europeans—are they the same prestige? And is racing one week after a collarbone op actually safe or just hype?raceready729-09-2026
- Love the idea of him defending the European jersey at home. The timing’s tight after the Vuelta crash, but his base is insane. If McNulty’s in rainbow and Pogi in blue, UAE might own every photo this month.jeremya29-09-2026
- Wait, five-time Tour winner? Did I miss something? Thought he had two maillots jaunes. Either way, if the doc Mir says he’s cleared, bring on the Euros and Lombardia warm-up!davidm29-09-2026
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