Visma troubles continue in Oman: Bart Lemmen also abandons
Visma | Lease a Bike is having a tough time at the Tour of Oman. On Monday afternoon, the team reported that Bart Lemmen would not start the fourth stage following a crash. Lemmen is experiencing wrist pain.
Visma | Lease a Bike already began the races in Oman battered. Before the Muscat Classic even took place, Owain Doull crashed and Axel Zingle fell ill, which meant the team started the Oman races with only five riders. Earlier that day, it was also announced that Sepp Kuss had fallen ill and withdrawn from the race.
After Kuss’s withdrawal, Lemmen was set to take over the team leadership. The Dutchman was fourth in the general classification before the start of the third stage but fell back significantly after his crash about thirty kilometers from the finish, which involved the entire team (including Tijmen Graat, Aldo Tallieu, and Patryk Goszczurny).
With the three remaining riders, the team will now try to finish the Tour of Oman. “We were ready to start the final climb with Bart and Tijmen, but unfortunately the major crash early on jeopardized our chances,” team director Robert Wagner said in the press release.
“Patryk retains the leader’s jersey, so that’s the positive takeaway from today. In the next two stages, we will do everything possible to defend Patryk’s jersey,” the German added.
