Jorgenson is living a dream, but mainly thinks of Van Aert: "I was on Wout's wheel, it was a racing incident"

Let's start with that crash, which ultimately decapitated Dwars door Vlaanderen but may also affect the rest of the cobbled classics. Van Aert crashed hard and gave up in tears, but Lidl-Trek and Intermarché-Want also lost their leaders with Mads Pedersen, Jasper Stuyven and Biniam Girmay. "I was on Wout's wheel, just before the Kanarieberg, a decisive moment in the race," Jorgenson recounts the crash.

"It was a racing incident, with our train and that of Lidl-Trek coming together, at which point Wout and I think Alex Kirsch ran into each other," the American continues, sounding subdued. "It was a very nasty fall, I knew immediately that we had lost Wout. It happened so fast, but Tiesj and I continued with the plan, because it was still a race. However, my thoughts were and are with Wout and the others involved. I hope everyone is okay, and that I'm now not the only remaining contender for the Tour of Flanders. We'll see about that later."

The fact that Visma | Lease a Bike straightened their backs and rode the finale with Benoot and Jorgenson is commendable. It is also thanks to that numerical advantage that the Killerbees were able to win, says the victor. "It was very important that Tiesj and I were in the leading group, because our whole strategy is based on having a numerical advantage. Without Tiesj, I wouldn't have won this race, because he closed the gap on that last cobbled section."

The victory in Dwars door Vlaanderen is the second big win of the year for Jorgenson, who already surprised with a win in Paris-Nice in March. "It's incredible, this season has been a dream so far," he says, flashing a smile for a moment. "After Paris-Nice, I quickly shifted focus because I also want to qualify for the Olympic Games. I've secured that now. It's truly an insane season."