Visma put Bart Lemmen on Tour standby after Affini crash

Visma | Lease a Bike have taken precautions ahead of the Tour de France by withdrawing Bart Lemmen from Sunday’s Dutch road race championships in Nijmegen.

The Dutch team confirmed to In de Leiderstrui that Lemmen must remain available because he could be added to the Tour squad at short notice. He is the team’s first reserve and is the leading candidate to replace Edoardo Affini should the Italian fail to recover from the injuries he sustained at the Italian national championships on Thursday.

Affini crashed heavily during the Italian individual time trial championships, coming down on an early descent only six kilometres into his effort. He was taken to hospital by ambulance after the incident.

Medical examinations showed that the 30 year old had not suffered any fractures and Visma later confirmed that he had remained conscious throughout. Affini did, however, sustain a deep wound to his groin which required both internal and external stitches according to Tuttobici.

His recovery will be assessed over the coming days, with his participation in the Tour now uncertain.

Affini had been named in Visma’s eight rider Tour squad earlier in the week. The powerful Italian was selected to play a crucial role in protecting Jonas Vingegaard on flat and exposed stages, where positioning, wind and the risk of crashes can shape the general classification.

Head sports director Marc Reef previously described Affini as a rider capable of keeping Vingegaard in the correct position during the most nervous moments of a race. His strength and experience make him one of the team’s key figures away from the mountains.

Visma have therefore moved quickly to ensure that a ready made replacement is available should Affini be ruled out.

Lemmen had been due to challenge for the Dutch road race title after an impressive Tour de Suisse, where he openly expressed his ambitions for the national championships. His omission from Visma’s squad list on Friday was therefore notable.

The 30-year-old is carrying strong form into the final week before the Tour. He finished tenth overall at the Tour de Suisse and claimed third place on two stages, building on an impressive Giro d’Italia.

At the Giro, Lemmen established himself as one of Vingegaard’s most reliable climbing domestiques. He was especially valuable in the final mountain stages, staying with the leading group deep into the decisive climbs.

A late Tour call would not be a new experience for Lemmen. He was drafted into Visma’s squad shortly before the 2024 edition after Sepp Kuss was ruled out following a COVID 19 infection.