Crash takes out Team momentum on stage one of the Belgium Tour.

Sport Director Gennady Mikhaylov

“The guys were doing a very good job throughout the opening part of the race, working together and holding position as fourth team in the bunch and then we got unlucky with the crash, but hey that’s cycling and no one was injured, so we smile, say our thanks and move on.”

“Tomorrow we have the individual time trial up on the coast at Knokke-Heist and although it’s flat it could easily be 11 kilometers against the wind as much as the clock, so, we’re hoping for the best from the weather and also that our guys recover well tonight.”

Declan Irvine (AUS)

“For the first 100 kilometers we were riding really well as a team, all together towards the front of the peloton and then just before we hit the final circuits there was a crash just in front and four of us went down. We couldn’t avoid it and it totally disrupted our momentum and our race today.”

“We managed to get back into the bunch and I’m thankful that we are all ok, but the circuits were classic Belgian, narrow, up and down and really technical, so we didn’t have a chance to regain the front part of the bunch and then the race split, and we just tried to hold on.”

“It’s quite positive overall though, we all finished, we worked together and helped each other through the tough part to come out of the other side and after the crash I hope no one’s too stiff for the time trial tomorrow.”