Riders forced to WALK up climb as wet cobbles cause ‘absolute chaos’ at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

Published 25/02/2023 at 16:12 GMT

The Muur van Geraardsbergen has seen plenty of drama through the years and 2023 was no different as the wet cobbles caused havoc at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. Dozens of riders were spotted awkwardly pushing their bikes up a steep section of the climb in their cleats, ending any hopes they had of challenging for victory. Stream the 2023 cycling season live and on-demand on discovery+.

'Absolute chaos' - Riders PUSH bikes up climb as wet cobbles cause havoc

Riders were forced to push their bikes up wet cobbles on the iconic Muur van Geraardsbergen during an unusual moment at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.

The famous 1.2km climb – a twisty narrow ascent along cobblestones – caught a spate of riders out amid damp conditions, with a number forced to hop off their saddles and push after losing traction as the gradient hit double digits.

“Absolute chaos behind, a lot of riders reduced to walking,” said Matt Stephens on Eurosport commentary.

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“That little bit of moisture makes it very difficult to get any traction.”

There was no such trouble for the leaders, with Dylan van Baarle (Jumbo-Visma) using the climb to ditch his last remaining straggler in Mathis Le Berre (Arkea Samsic).

Van Baarle rode away to take a famous win on his Jumbo debut, having joined the Dutch outfit from Ineos Grenadiers, with exciting youngster Arnaud De Lie (Lotto–Dstny) winning the sprint behind for second.

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Stream the 2023 cycling season live and on-demand on discovery+ and eurosport.co.uk

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