Belgium’s Driedaagse van West-Vlaanderen ended with a big blow for Team LottoNL-Jumbo when Tom Van Asbroeck crashed heavily during Sunday’s final stage.

“Tom is still cheerful, but he had trouble standing," Sports Director Frans Maassen. “He is now in the hospital with his wife, parents and in-laws. We’re waiting for the medical report.”

Van Asbroeck hit the tarmac at about 80 kilometres from the finish line. He took a tumble and landed on his back after a rider in front of him hit at a roadblock.

“I wanted Tom to abandon, but he wanted to continue,” Maassen said. “The race doctor said the damage was not too bad, but eventually Tom got off his bike and stopped as he was dropped.”

Maassen hopes Van Asbroeck has not suffered anything serious. “It would be a real downer if Tom is sidelined for a while as he is one of our strong finishers. He was a real contender today, which makes his crash more upsetting.”

Martijn Keizer

Danny van Poppel of Trek Factory Racing won the sprint in Ichtegem, Belgium, and Yves Lampaert of Etixx-Quick Step took the overall victory. Martijn Keizer ended up eighth.