Cyclingflash
Rick Pluimers breaks two upper front teeth in crash on Molenberg

Rick Pluimers breaks two upper front teeth in crash on Molenberg

Beyond the finish line, the car is already waiting to take Rick Pluimers directly to a dentist. In second position behind Florian Vermeersch, the Brabander climbed the first part of the Molenberg, after which he slipped on the rain-slick cobbles. In his unfortunate crash, the Tudor ProCycling rider landed full force on his face. “I immediately felt that my teeth were gone,” he says to the camera of WielerFlits after Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.

The wounds on his face are clearly visible. When the 25-year-old Pluimers opens his mouth, it’s clear that both his front teeth are broken off halfway. “A painful injury, because the nerves are now exposed there,” says one of the team’s caregivers. The rider himself seems to have a high pain threshold. “It’s manageable, luckily. They probably broke in a good spot, but I still have to go to the dentist. We’ll see then.”

Pluimers’ crash was a turning point in the race. He had good legs and was in a perfect position for the traditional decisive moment of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. Riding in the slipstream of the very strong Florian Vermeersch, Pluimers was climbing in second position among all the top contenders behind him. Until he slipped on the slick cobbles.

“I just slipped. I wanted to follow Florian. I had just come off the top of a cobble when I felt my wheel sliding away. Then I hit the ground face-first. That was really frustrating. I think a lot was possible today because I felt good. But when you crash, you can’t show that.”

Mathieu van der Poel was still able to miraculously maneuver past the falling Pluimers with one foot out of the pedal, but riders like Christophe Laporte had to brake hard. That the decisive breakaway then formed after the Molenberg with Van der Poel, Florian Vermeersch, and among others Tim van Dijke, is especially bitter for Pluimers.

“I would have preferred to shape the race’s decisive moment differently. It’s a shame. The Molenberg is a key moment in the race. If you crash there, you know you’re stopping your guys. My apologies to those guys for that. I would have preferred to stay on the bike as well.”

Fortunately, the injuries seem to be manageable at first glance. “We have to fix the teeth. That is the priority right now. My hand also hurts a bit, but I think that’s manageable.”

After two top-ten finishes in the Tour of Oman and a third place in the Classic Var, Pluimers is showing his good form in the opening classic of the Low Countries. “The feeling is good,” he confirms after the finish. “That’s nice, although I would have preferred to ride to the finish.”