If sport is emotion, then the fall of Remco Evenepoel was by far the moment of last week. From minutes of tension, to a sigh of relief to cautious optimism. In our podcast De Tribune, Elke Weylandt, sister of the late Wouter Weylandt, told how she experienced the last Tour of Lombardy.
In this episode you will also hear:
- Wie Rani Rosius is.
- Whether Remco Evenepoel’s fall was the result of a steering error or too dangerous a descent.
- What Carl Berteele’s maximum break is in snooker.
- Whether it is a good idea to have an outside company check the security of prices.
- Whether Adrien Trebel is the divisive fungus that drove Kompany and Vercauteren apart.
“I did not want to hear news from the media”
For Elke Weylandt, the course is her passion and livelihood (as operations manager at Trek-Segafredo). Unfortunately, the sport also took her brother Wouter from her in 2011, after a descent during the Giro. Falls like that of Remco Evenepoel evoke bad memories for her.
“My heart pauses again and again for a serious fall. I can easily put myself in the position of Remco’s family and friends. In the beginning they don’t know what is going on. There were none of Wouter’s fall. images.”
“On the one hand I think that’s good, because I don’t want other people to see that. On the other hand, I might have wanted to see it for myself. When my father called me, I immediately knew that it was no ordinary crash.”
“I took a look at the Sporza site, but the server was down. That was a good thing. After that I did not dare to turn on the radio and TV. I was too scared. I did not want to hear any news from the media. ”
“At Remco they kept showing images on television, but they gave no news. Moreover, his legs did not move. I thought all the time” don’t show that! “Because without extra information it gets worse and worse in your head. there is information relatively quickly. “
At Remco they kept showing images, but they gave no news. I thought “don’t show that!”. Because without extra information it keeps getting worse in your head.
“Riders who don’t take risks can’t win a race”
The crash of Remco Evenepoel (and a descent that same day in the Dauphiné) again sparked the discussion about the (in) safety in the race. A discussion on which Elke Weylandt has a nuanced opinion despite her personal loss.
“I agree with Philippe Gilbert and Oliver Naesen when they say that riders who do not take risks cannot win a race. This sport does not come without risks. Anyone who squeezes his brakes in the sprint or goes down like Elke Weylandt cannot win.”
“They are also professional cyclists. But it is not because you can do something very well that you do not make a mistake every now and then. Remco’s fall cannot be compared to that of my brother. Wouter had the steepest part of the descent. behind him, but he looked behind him. “
“There are ways to prevent the consequences of a fall from being so severe. Such as not sprinting in a descent, for example. For God’s sake! A descent is part of the individuality of the Tour of Lombardy, but you can make the course more secure with fences and nets for example. “
“I don’t think much has changed since my brother’s death. He didn’t fall due to an unsafe course, but what strikes me is that there have been almost annual deaths in the peloton since then. That scares me. Maybe pay attention. I’m more on it now, but for Wouter I can only remember Fabio Casartelli and Andrej Kivilev. “
What strikes me is that there have been nearly annual deaths in the pack since my brother’s death. That scares me.
Download the podcast from De Tribune
