Nasty crash into barriers in Copenhagen: Visma | LaB, Merlier and more issue updates after fall

City circuits are always tricky, whether the race is taking place in the world’s biggest cycling city or not. In Copenhagen, the riders were constantly twisting and turning during the Copenhagen Sprint, and to make matters worse, the roads were wet as well. It was almost asking for trouble, and a major crash meant big names such as Tim Merlier and Dylan Groenewegen never got the chance to contest the sprint. So how are those involved doing now?

The crash happened with a little under twenty kilometers to go. After a right-hand bend, riders on the left side were squeezed for space and ended up crashing into the barriers. Around twenty riders hit the ground or the metal fencing. The road was completely blocked by bikes and bodies, with some riders only able to continue by walking along the barriers.

Most of the peloton, however, was caught behind the crash. Top sprinters such as Merlier, Groenewegen, Arnaud De Lie and defending champion Jordi Meeus were all on the wrong side of the incident and had to chase hard. Unibet Rose Rockets and Soudal Quick-Step did everything they could to bring it back, but up front Alpecin-Premier Tech and Decathlon CMA CGM kept the pace high. The result was a sprint from a small group, where Jasper Philipsen was the fastest.

For Groenewegen, it was obviously a huge disappointment. Fortunately, he wasn’t involved in the crash himself: only his teammate Abram Stockmann hit the pavement, but he was able to continue. “The top forty or fifty were able to get through, but behind them it was completely blocked,” lead-out man Karsten Feldmann told X. “There were about twenty riders on the ground.”

Visma | Lease a Bike started without a true top sprinter and had several riders involved in the nasty crash. Menno Huising and Pietro Mattio went down, while almost the entire team was held up. Loe van Belle was the only one who escaped the chaos, and the Dutchman went on to take an impressive eleventh place. The Dutch squad later reported that everyone had come through unharmed.

For Cofidis, it was especially frustrating that top sprinter Milan Fretin was among those caught up. The Belgian had been hoping for a strong result after taking two podium finishes in June, but he was unable to sprint. Remarkably, he also came away from Denmark without major injuries. He was unable to finish the race, however, as were teammates Piet Allegaert and Jenthe Biermans.

According to Soudal Quick-Step, Merlier was not involved in the crash either. The Belgian team said it chased hard and tried to close the gap again, but Merlier ultimately finished twenty seconds behind the winner. In the results, however, the sprinter is listed in 129th place, more than seven minutes down and surrounded by teammates. Could there be more to it? For now, that remains to be seen.

Author: David Bavin-Hobbs - [email protected]