The new Granfondo Belgium, organised in Les Lacs de l’Eau d’Heure has had to be cancelled.
The riders were lined up with a first wave of license holders, followed by different waves of unlicensed riders. It was in this first wave that after 8km on course on a straight wide-open road, a major crash happened with 40 riders involved. Tragically, seven riders sustained serious injuries requiring hospitalization, although no fatalities were reported.
The race of the subsequent waves was first delayed and eventually cancelled due to a lack of emergency vehicles available.
The mediofondo, who had started 45 minutes earlier had Niels Vreys (M35) as overall winner. In the categories of men over 60 and women over 50 who battled for World Championships qualification, Dutch Freo ten Hove won in the men’s categories while Belgian Annick Van Leuven was the fastest female!
