Opening Weekend: A Story Of Adversity And Resilience

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Opening Weekend - with the Omloop Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne races - marks the official kick-off to the Classics season in northern Europe. Tudor Pro Cycling reflects on a weekend that proved to be an emotional roller coaster, telling a story of adversity and resilience.

01.03.2026

Leaving the velodrome in Ghent after the start of Omloop Nieuwsblad on Saturday, Tudor Pro Cycling entered the Classics season with a strong lineup and high hopes for what many consider the best time of the cycling year.

Just hours later, some of those ambitions were shattered as several riders of the Team were involved in crashes, hitting the unforgiving Belgian cobbles hard. Classics leader Stefan Küng suffered a broken femur - a severe injury that will require surgery after being transported back to Switzerland.

Rick Pluimers was in a promising position during a decisive moment of Omloop Nieuwsblad, but a slip on the slopes of the Molenberg resulted in several broken teeth. On a positive note, a late-night visit to the dentist restored his smile, and he is expected to return to racing soon - though Sunday’s Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne came too soon for him.

©Chris Auld

A crash earlier in the race left Lithuanian Champion Aivaras Mikutis with a hand injury requiring stitches, and preventing him from lining up at the start of Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne as well.

Saturday’s race was not only painful to watch from the Team’s perspective but also forced the Sport Directors to quickly reorganize the lineup and strategy for Sunday’s Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne, which they eventually had to tackle with just five riders.

Bart Leysen, Sports Director, reflecting on Omloop Nieuwsblad:

“We entered Omloop Nieuwsblad with high hopes and a solid strategy, so the disappointment of the result was very tough to take and the injury of Stefan is a very hard pill to swallow. However, seeing Rick Pluimers in good shape and escaping with only minor injuries was a definite silver lining.“

Resilience and determination to fight back on Sunday

At Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne, Luca Mozzato and Matteo Trentin demonstrated unwavering determination and resilience during another fast and hectic day of racing on the roads of Flanders. The two Italians secured a remarkable double podium, finishing second and third after a powerful sprint from a strongly reduced group at the finish line in Kuurne.

At the finish line in Kuurne, Sports Director Bart Leysen looked back on an emotional day of racing:

“Starting with only five riders today was certainly no easy task, yet the commitment and determination from each of them was evident throughout the race. They fought relentlessly, resulting in Luca Mozzato and Matteo Trentin making the decisive group that contested the sprint for victory. Watching both riders reach the podium fills me with pride and proves the team’s unbroken spirit to fight back - even after very tough days!”

Matteo Trentin concluded: “We got the maximum possible today and this double podium is for my Team mates who crashed yesterday, and for Petr Kelemen, Marco Haller and Robin Froidevaux who pulled a lot today. It is always a Team effort. We knew we had to be at the front, that’s what our teammates did. Once their job was done, it was up to Luca and to me to try to survive through the day which we did pretty well. I didn't expect to have such good legs for the sprint - but it went pretty well.“