Follow IDL Pro Cycling on Google
Stay up to date with the best cycling news by making us a preferred source on Google.
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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]
IDL-productions
Cyclocross legend Lars van der Haar had a tough time after retiring from cyclocross: 'It was over pretty quickly'
Celia Gery won the European cyclocross championship while awaiting surgery: 'It'll be a new beginning'
Dutch team coach De Knegt annoyed by European Cyclocross Championships dispute: "A bit of a let down"
Glasgow set to shine as World Cup demand outstrips expectations and Mason eyes first home cyclocross race
Pogačar, Vingegaard and Van Aert went faster again in 2026... except when they didn't
Latest Cycling News
Thibau Nys and Lucinda Brand's team lose title sponsor in the middle of the cyclocross season
Vingegaard's compatriot slams Bruyneel for 'nonsense' comments: 'Letting Lance Armstrong make a comeback didn’t make him any wiser'
Thibau Nys offers glimpse into unbelievable cyclocross comeback: 'That uncertainty, that struggle with self-confidence'
'Rest assured: we will succeed': Van Rysel CEO makes big claims on behalf of Seixas and Decathlon CMA CGM
Complications surround Wout van Aert's World Cyclocross Championship start
Popular Cycling News
Tadej Pogačar reveals his insane training data in new HBO film: 'I think that's what works best'
Pidcock's turbocharged vacation leads to struggles on the bike: 'No wonder people think cycling is hard'
Mads Pedersen weighs in on Lucinda Brand and Marie Schreiber's European Cyclocross Championship clash
🎥 Lucinda Brand pulls out of the Niel cyclocross race in tears after just a few minutes
Extensive evidence of use of N-word, homophobia, and Asian-hate by track cyclist Matthew Richardson revealed
Latest Comments
- I’m not sure how WorldTour licences work—could these reports affect whether the team gets one next year, or is that decision based on other criteria?velodromevirtuoso113-11-2026
- Pointing to three former riders doesn’t settle what nearly 100 people have reportedly shared. Hopefully the review looks at the team’s systems and culture, not just whose version of events sounds more convincing.julien13-11-2026
- Eight questions or 23? That’s a pretty significant difference in the accounts, and it’d be useful to know exactly what was sent and when.robert6513-11-2026
- Kittel’s position sounds more nuanced than Spekenbrink suggests: he didn’t endorse the “culture of fear” label, but still called for the team to be looked at critically. That distinction matters.bikebuffj13-11-2026
- The independent investigation is the important bit now. It needs to give current staff a safe way to speak honestly, not just become another round of public statements.michael5413-11-2026
- One Lombardia doesn’t tell us how Seixas will handle a full Grand Tour. I’d rather see him develop steadily than have every result turned into a Pogačar comparison.samanthak12-11-2026
- Pogacar is 30 already? I thought he was younger. If he keeps winning like this, how long can he realistically ride at the top?jeremya12-11-2026
- Interesting that Thomas made the comparison while speaking to Rowe, given Decathlon’s hopes of keeping Seixas and the reports linking INEOS with him. Praise, or a subtle message to a potential signing?gearguru3312-11-2026
- Seixas winning Il Lombardia at this age is a huge statement. The Pogačar comparisons are inevitable, but Thomas is right to leave room for both of them to keep improving—Pog is still setting the bar.robert6512-11-2026
- A fascinating career, but the article leans heavily on his side of the story. Were the three disqualifications all for the same equipment rule, or were there different issues each time?michael5412-11-2026
