Wout van Aert's dramatic chase after a false start and subsequent disqualification at the U23 national championships: "A legendary moment"

The incident occurred when Wout van Aert, then a young rider, caused a false start and was subsequently disqualified. "It wasn't Wout's fault," Adams explains, detailing the entire story. "We were all in the front row, with Toon Aerts on the right, me second, and Wout third. The start was delayed, and eventually, Aerts moved forward slightly, followed by a reaction from me and then from Van Aert, who fully launched into the race.

"Toon and I stopped after half a meter, but Wout continued," Adams continues. "That was a false start, and everyone had to return to their starting positions. Then, the jury asked the riders if Wout could start from the last row. A few riders opposed letting Wout restart, among them Gianni Vermeersch and Tim Merlier who also expressed some disagreement. The jury sided with them, leading to Wout being barred from starting again."

After everyone had started, a frustrated Van Aert slipped past the volunteers and sprinted after the rest of the peloton. "That was a legendary moment," says Herygers. "The entire peloton was gone, and fifty to sixty meters behind, he shot through the volunteers and they couldn't stop him. Half a lap later, he was already in fifth position but was then removed from the course." Such an act requires real courage. "I did leave my commentary booth to seek an explanation from the UCI." "It's incredible that the riders were allowed to decide that themselves," Bram Lambert continues. "He also left with the notion that he had been wronged but also with the idea of: I'm going to show that I belong here."

Adams won in Waregem, ahead of Aerts, who is currently serving a doping suspension, and Laurens Sweeck. "I would have let him start with us, and then I might have been second, but you never know. It was quite thrilling at the time with constant changes in position. I even finished with a flat tire."