Greg Van Avermaet (BMC) was one of the top favourites for victory in the Tour of Flanders, but the Belgian ended a dramatic race a disappointed second as Philippe Gilbert (Quick-Step Floors) soloed to victory in Oudenaarde.
Van Avermaet was in an elite chasing group almost a minute down on Gilbert when he crashed on the Oude Kwaremont, brought down when world champion Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) struck a roadside barrier in front of him. Although he remounted, and closed to within 30 seconds in the company of Dylan van Baarle (Cannondale-Drapac) and Niki Terpstra (Quick-Step), he was unable to close the gap on the run-in to the finish.
“It was bad luck. The last few years nobody crashed uphill on the Kwaremont. You know you shouldn’t be racing on the side like Peter did, but that’s what happens in a finale. You take risks and everybody tries to get on that path on the left, but it’s just too close to the barriers. You know that if you crash, that your race is over,” Van Avermaet told Sporza on crossing the line.
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“Sagan was going full gas and we were getting away with the strongest riders. He hit something. I don’t know what happened. I was completely tucked onto his wheel. Then you know you’re going down and that the race is over. Luckily my bike wasn’t broken. I tried to set the handlebars straight. It was too late.
“If I had been with Peter then maybe we could have gotten closer. Instead, we hit the ground and lost out. But chapeau to Phil. I don’t want to take away anything from what he has done.”
Van Avermaet’s frayed and torn kit told its own story, but he insisted he wasn’t in much pain. “My left side is a bit scraped. My shoulder hurts too but I’m full of adrenaline and then you don’t feel too much. You just pick up your bike and try to make the best of it. Tomorrow it’ll hurt more,” he said.
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