Visma | Lease a Bike failed to impose its usual dominance on Omloop Het Nieuwsblad on Saturday. Team leader Wout van Aert was not at his best, and the squad struggled with positioning at key moments. After the race, Head of Racing Grischa Niermann spoke to the press in Ninove with a bitter tone of frustration.
“We weren’t able to control the race,” Van Aert admitted at the finish. “From my side, I just wasn’t at my best and was constantly playing catch-up. We were poorly positioned. The Molenberg is a crucial point, and if you only have one rider up there, that’s not good. In a race like this, it’s all about the legs and overall condition. I simply wasn’t strong enough to force anything.”
In the end, Van Aert was the team’s best finisher in 11th place. “I already felt during the race that I didn’t have my best legs today. I still tried, but from the moment I accelerated, I could tell that there was nothing left in the tank.”
wout van aert
Interview Grischa Niermann (Visma | Lease a Bike) after Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
Grischa, what’s your story?
“A very strange Omloop, but it was a little bit predictable. The weather was calm, with no rain or wind. That meant the race remained closed for a long time, and in the end, we had a sprint with a large group.”
You missed the selection on the Molenberg, except for Jorgenson?
“That’s correct. We weren’t in the right position at the base. A lot of riders had to put a foot down, and you know that’s going to happen. If you’re not positioned well there, you miss out. That was something we had to correct, and it was definitely not part of the plan.”
So what was the plan then?
“To make the race hard and force something, but we weren’t strong enough to do that. We had to settle for a sprint, but Wout didn’t have his best legs either. That was already clear during the race. We gambled on a sprint, but with guys like Philipsen and Magnier in the mix, it was always going to be difficult. This was definitely not the race we came for.”
Did Wout give any signals along the way?
“Not really during the race, but he did mention it afterward. And that’s fine, it’s not a disaster. It’s certainly not just about Wout. As a team, we didn’t race the way we wanted to.”
Wout was often positioned quite far back.
“He knows himself that he needs to be at the front approaching the Molenberg.”
Matteo was in the front group. Did you consider going into the final with him in that group?
“No. If we only have one rider in a group of thirty, it’s clear that we need to come back from behind. We definitely weren’t betting on that.”
What key takeaways do you take from this Omloop?
“That it’s crucial to be at the front at key moments. Of course, we already knew that—just like every other rider. It’s easy to say in a meeting, and usually, we execute it well, but today we didn’t.”
Victor Campenaerts crashed. Was he supposed to help with positioning?
“Absolutely. Victor was supposed to take action heading into the Eikenberg, but after his crash, he wasn’t in a position to do so. But he also crashed because he was too far back in the peloton. That’s not a criticism, but it was the start of our misery.”
That’s not typical of Visma | Lease a Bike.
“We’ve won this race three years in a row, but winning it a fourth time is tough. We have a chance for redemption in Kuurne. We go into every race aiming to win, but it didn’t happen here. In the end, we have the experience and quality to bounce back. I don’t blame anyone—it’s incredibly difficult. In that second group, people naturally looked at Wout and our team to do the work.”
How’s the atmosphere on the bus?
“There’s no party music blasting, but it’s not the end of the world.”
