Dylan van Baarle joins Visma illness and injury list as Tour of Flanders nears

Dylan van Baarle has become the latest Visma-Lease A Bike rider to fall victim to illness or injury this spring Classics season and will not ride Wednesday's Dwars door Vlaanderen due to illness.

The Dutch squad's cobbled Classics team has taken a major hit in the lead-up to the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, with Van Baarle now a possible doubt for the former as he misses the final warm-up for Belgium's biggest race.

He joins teammate and defending race champion Christophe Laporte in missing Dwars. The Frenchman has been unable to train since Milan-San Remo due to a stomach problem and saddle sore. He will miss the Tour of Flanders and is facing a race against time to take part in Paris-Roubaix.

Team leader Wout van Aert has so far been one of few Visma-Lease A Bike top Classics names to avoid misfortune so far this spring and appears to have recoverd from his crash on the cobbles during the E3 Saxo Classic last Friday.

Tiesj Benoot is also battling injury after hurting his ribs in a crash at the E3 Saxo Classic, while Omloop Het Nieuwsblad winner Jan Tratnik crashed at Gent-Wevelgem. Per Strand Hagenes is also out of action after fracturing his nose at a crash at E3.

Benoot and Tratnik will line up alongside Van Aert at Dwars door Vlaanderen, while Julien Vermote is called up in place of former Paris-Roubaix champion Van Baarle. 

Matteo Jorgenson, Tim van Dijke, and Mick van Dijk complete the Visma-Lease A Bike lineup at the 189km race between Roeselare and Waregem.

Other major names lining up at the race, the final cobbled showdown before Flanders, including Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty), Soudal-QuickStep duo Julian Alaphilippe and Yves Lampaert, and 2023 runner-up Oier Lazkano (Movistar).

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