Tuesday, March 19, 2024 at 2:08 PM
A big setback for Visma | Lease a Bike in the run-up to the E3 Saxo Classic. Christophe Laporte will not appear at the start of the ‘mini-Tour of Flanders’. The European champion fell ill on the day of Milan-San Remo and has not yet recovered sufficiently.
Laporte performed well in his first games of 2024. The 31-year-old Frenchman started with a fifth place in the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and then also finished fourth in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne and tenth in Strade Bianche. A lot was expected of him in Milan-San Remo, but the fast driver had to leave the peloton very early – even before the Cipressa.
Afterwards it became clear why Laporte had to drop out so early: the rider appeared to be suffering from illness. “Christophe still doesn’t feel 100 percent after he had to give up in Milan-San Remo,” his team now says via social media. “He will take some extra time to recover and will therefore not start in the E3 Saxo Classic. We hope to have him back for the rest of the classics.”
Christophe Laporte is still not feeling a hundred percent after he had to abandon Milano-Sanremo. He will take some extra time to recover and will not start in the E3 Saxo Classic. We hope to have him back for the rest of his spring campaign.
— Team Visma | Lease a Bike (@vismaleaseabike) March 19, 2024
The fact that Laporte will not participate in the E3 Saxo Classic on Friday is a serious loss for Visma | Lease a Bike. The Frenchman finished second in the cobblestone classic two years ago, after destroying everything with his teammate and later winner Wout van Aert. Last year, Laporte added Gent-Wevelgem and Dwars door Vlaanderen to his list of achievements. The question now is whether he will be able to defend his titles.
Visma | In the E3 Saxo Classic, Lease a Bike can still count on leader Wout van Aert and shadow favorites Matteo Jorgenson, Dylan van Baarle, Jan Tratnik and Tiesj Benoot. Edoardo Affini is the only rider in the selection who will completely forget.
2024-03-19 13:08:00
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