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WAREGEM, Belgium (Velo) — Visma-Lease a Bike looked set to stamp its authority on the cobbled classics at Dwars door Vlaanderen, but a single-minded tunnel vision on securing a comeback win for Wout van Aert ended up backfiring.
Not only did it cost them the race, but the tactical disaster could potentially unsettle their classics campaign just days before the season’s biggest battles against Tadej Pogačar and Mathieu Van der Poel.
Rather than playing its numerical advantage, Visma placed their bets on a sprint finish, with Van Aert calling the shots. He later admitted he preferred to contest the sprint himself rather than see a teammate like Matteo Jorgenson or Tiesj Benoot go solo for the win.
Also read: Powless: ‘I thought I would finish second’
The gamble failed when Van Aert, in a rare misfire, was out-kicked at the line by Neilson Powless.
“We decided to go for the sprint with Wout, and that was the wrong decision. We also underestimated Neilson,” said Visma’s Matteo Jorgenson. “We weren’t super confident with the gap we had at one point. With the headwind on the circuit, we got nervous.
“So we decided Tiesj and I would support Wout more. That was the wrong call.”
‘In hindsight, it was a stupid decision’
The Killer Bees were left reeling in the aftermath.
Riders and staff consoled one another as intense scenes played out after the stunning finish.
Fellow Visma strongman Benoot admitted they had been blinded by the dream scenario winning for Van Aert, the Belgian superstar who’s been struggling with injuries and setbacks.
“After everything that happened last year, we were too eager to have Wout win,” Benoot said. “Because of that, we took too many risks taking Powless with us to a sprint. In hindsight, it was a stupid decision.
“It just kept growing in our minds,” Benoot said. “I’ve been up on Teide with Wout for three weeks, and I probably wanted him to win more than myself. We need to stick together, but we should’ve dropped Powless in the last five kilometers.”
OKAY COWBOY NEILSON !!! YEEEEHAWWWW pic.twitter.com/tK9HCO7NCl
— EF Pro Cycling (@EFprocycling) April 2, 2025
The result sent shockwaves through the Visma camp, a team that was on top of the world two years but now appears to be reeling.
With Ronde van Vlaanderen and Paris-Roubaix fast approaching, the pressure will be on to regroup and reignite their team strategy.
Up until the final kick, the team had looked untouchable.
Three men in yellow had dropped every single rider in the peloton, except for a certain Powless, who held on for dear life at the Trieu climb at 55km to go.
From there, the quartet worked together to fend off the chasing peloton. With no attacks from Visma in the finale, everything was set up for Van Aert’s big comeback party.
‘9 out of 10 times Wout would win’
While Van Aert took personal responsibility for missing out on the victory during the flash interview near the podium, team director Grischa Niermann stepped outside the team bus to address the awaiting media.
The German also stepped up to take responsibility for the tactical call.
“I love to see anybody from our team win, but obviously it would’ve been nicer if Wout won this race. Nine times out of 10, Wout would beat Neilson in the sprint. That didn’t happen and that’s my responsibility,” Niermann said in the media scrum at the Visma team bus.
Niermann described the chaotic moments when the riders were chattering over the race radio to try to decide the final tactics.
“We were far behind with the team car but at a certain moment they told us that it was decided that Wout received the confidence to win the sprint,” he said. “In hindsight, I should have overruled the decision and told them to attack one after the other, that we had to win this race. I didn’t do that.
“Wout seemed to struggle with cramps in the sprints. That can happen. It was my responsibility, my mistake. There’s major disappointment now because the men rode a really good race,” Niermann said.
Hope for Flanders?
Despite a tremendous team effort, a serious team talk will be needed to boost the team’s confidence on the eve of the holy week with the Ronde van Vlaanderen and Paris-Roubaix.
For a long time, Jorgenson and Benoot were standing behind the finish line together, taking in what just happened. A little further away, Van Aert dropped to the ground.
The Dutch team faces an uphill task but Jorgenson drew a positive lesson from the drama in Dwars door Vlaanderen.
“We rode much better than during the opening weekend. We wanted to attack. Still, I hope that on Sunday we can learn from this mistake,” Jorgenson said.
