Slippery Koppenberg disrupts Tour of Flanders recon after truck incident

Teams preparing their ride through the Flemish Ardennes, among them Remco Evenepoel’s Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe squad, were forced to reconsider their plans when access to the climb was temporarily restricted.

The problem started on the descent, where a garbage truck lost traction. “A garbage truck started slipping this morning,” said Simon Lamon, Koppenberg coordinator for Flanders Classics to Sporza. “There is mud on the road and the climb had to be closed for a while because another vehicle was involved.”

The aftermath was visible on the cobbles. Soil had been dragged onto the surface, making one of the race’s most demanding climbs even more treacherous. Cleaning crews had only finished work on the section a day earlier. “There is a lot of earth on the stones. The cobbles have to be cleaned again. We had just done that, so we have to start over,” Lamon said.

For a short period, it looked like teams would need to adjust their plans. The Koppenberg is one of the decisive points in Sunday’s race, with the climb coming with less than 50 kilometres to go, and missing it during recon is far from ideal.

Access was restored before midday, allowing riders to stick to their planned routes without detours. A more thorough clean-up is scheduled afterwards, with emergency services set to clear what remains once the teams have passed through.