Headaches for Dutch national coach? Cycling coach sees more than half of the European Championship team drop out in five days

Moerenhout confidently chose two leaders for his team. "The 220-kilometer road race course is varied, featuring an urban circuit along with sections where the race could become challenging on the cobblestone stretches and in the hills. With Olav Kooij and Mathieu van der Poel as the leaders of this group, we can adapt to different race scenarios," he announced during the team selection.

Both Kooij and Van der Poel planned to sharpen their form in the Renewi Tour but were in for some unexpected setbacks. Kooij crashed on the first day and, although he managed to finish the stage covered in blood, he didn’t start the second stage. His team, Visma | Lease a Bike, hasn't yet revealed the exact nature of Kooij's injuries, but the visible scrapes and bruises on the speedy rider from Numansdorp looked severe. The other potential Dutch sprinters not included in the selection, Dylan Groenewegen and Fabio Jakobsen, also had to withdraw from the Renewi Tour due to injuries shortly afterward.

Then there’s Van der Poel, arguably the biggest attraction of the Renewi Tour. Many cycling fans were eager to see him in action on Sunday in the mini-Tour of Flanders around Geraardsbergen, but suddenly, a push notification came in from his team, Alpecin-Deceuninck, on Sunday morning. During a maneuver in the time trial—which was widely shared on social media—it turned out that the Dutchman had hit his knee.

As a precaution—with the European Championships and the World Championships in mind—he decided that continuing the race was no longer worthwhile. "The last day would only add extra stress to my knee. I can't and don't want to take any risks that would just make it worse. It's very disappointing because I was really looking forward to the final stage on the Muur van Geraardsbergen," said Van der Poel himself. He won't have another race until the European Championships, which will be held on September 15.

The time trialists in action—who competed five days earlier—also faced setbacks. It began on Wednesday with a message from INEOS Grenadiers in Spain, revealing that Thymen Arensman had contracted COVID. "After struggling with the heat earlier, I'm now disappointed that COVID has caught up with me. Spain hasn't been too good for me over the past two years," wrote the Dutchman, who also had to withdraw last year.

"I've worked hard to be in top form, but there are some things you just can't control," Arensman said. "Right now, I'm hoping I can recover quickly and still finish this year on a positive note in some way. But first, I need time to accept this disappointment," said Arensman, who lives in Andorra and went to watch the World Mountain Biking Championships there this week.

A few hours later, Kooij crashed, as did Daan Hoole. The strong rider from Lidl-Trek, a regular at championships, was left grimacing in pain on the Belgian asphalt after a crash in the Renewi Tour. At first glance, it didn’t look too good, but despite his withdrawal, Hoole was back on his bike just two days later.

And that wasn’t all: Mick van Dijke also got a closer look at the asphalt than he would have liked. The rider from Zeeland was unfortunately involved in a crash during the chaotic final stages of the penultimate stage of the Renewi Tour in Aalter. "After we had already lost Olav, we saw Mick drop out early. He was too hampered by his crash," said Visma | Lease a Bike team leader Arthur van Dongen.

Remaining are the only Renewi Tour finisher, Mike Teunissen; Oscar Riesebeek, who is currently riding in the Vuelta; and Danny van Poppel and Pascal Eenkhoorn, who have all shown good form. Let’s all hope for a speedy recovery for the other five!