Crashes in the somewhat wet conditions this year produced more tales of heroic feats, adding to the folklore of this great race. Here are just some of those tales:
Dislocated shoulder? No worries.
2011 Tour of Flanders champion and reigning ITT world champion? Or Martin Riggs?
And you can tell this podium celebration hurt like hell:
Source: Supplied
With a clipped wing, Annemiek van Vleuten celebrates her third at the 2018 Tour of Flanders (Getty) Source: Getty
Barbed wire? Just tickles.
Ouch... a bit of improvised first aid from the spectator, extricating Mitch Docker #sbscycling pic.twitter.com/dXMMHn5ufg — CyclingCentral (@CyclingCentral) April 1, 2018
If most of us completed over 200 kilometres, climbed a few bergs and ridden over cobbles, we'd be tucked up at home with a cup of tea. Add a run-in with barbed wire, we'd be milking it for as long as we could, regretting nothing.
But Mitch Docker brushes it off, hugs his kid, does an interview for the team, and still wishes he could've finished the race.
“I’m ok. I just didn’t get to finish Flanders, which is annoying.” - @Mitch_Bowen pic.twitter.com/hiVKCuFyZw — EF Education First - Drapac p/b Cannondale (@Ride_Argyle) April 1, 2018
Compared to his awful 2016 Paris-Roubaix crash though, barbed wire would feel like a tickle.
Get these guys frites and mayo, stat
What do you do when you're immobilised at the hospital and waiting for x-rays and such? Us? Wallow in the pain. Pro cyclists? Watch the race, silly.
All they needed was some Belgian beer, frites and mayo.
Hosking (the one lying down in the tweet above) came down hard and while she produced much screaming, she said it was just bruising.
Nasty crash in the women's race. Looks like Chloe Hosking is down and badly hurt. Fingers crossed that it's not as bad as it looks #sbscycling pic.twitter.com/sc7kFO3Clz — CyclingCentral (@CyclingCentral) April 1, 2018
But she nearly had her head ridden over and more, so watch this space.
Nasty crash, still finish 4th & 11th
It looked all over for Michael Valgren (Astana) and Oliver Naesen (Ag2R) after this crash. If they weren't badly hurt and looking for the backseat of the car, the ride back on was surely going to be a challenge.
Nope. Valgren finished fourth, Naesen 11th.
A big crash in the peloton involving @OliverNaesen and @stijndevolder79 ! #RVV #RVV18 pic.twitter.com/Y3vIRPjGzP — Ronde Van Vlaanderen (@RondeVlaanderen) April 1, 2018
Sick for days?
Us:
Gracie?
Source: Supplied
Sep Vanmarcke
Perennial podium placer in the big gigs, this guy just...is.
Today he didn't finish second or third, but after spending what seemed like more time off the bike than on due to crashes, mechanicals and punctures, if he DNF'd, we wouldn't have thought any less of him.
He finished 13th.
Fierce
So Anna van der Breggen and Niki Terpstra didn't crash badly or have any bad luck on their way to victory, but staying away after a solo attack still takes some heroics. So let's see that again:
Them:
One last dance! Dutch winners of 2018 @RondeVlaanderen @AnnavdBreggen and @NikiTerpstra #RVV #RVV2018 pic.twitter.com/FkGFqAkkwq — Laura Meseguer (@Laura_Meseguer) April 1, 2018
Us:
Source: Supplied
More on Cycling Central:
Bold Terpstra seizes Tour of Flanders victory
