> After the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, photos surfaced of Capiot standing on the side of the road during the race with his damaged Giant Propel bike. The rear wheel rim appeared broken, with the spokes completely detached from the hub, while the tire had also come off the rim. This exposed the tubeless sealant and inner tube, Cyclingnews reports.
> After the race, the cycling website decided to contact Jayco AlUla, Capiot's team, for comment. According to the Australian team, the Belgian rider rode too long on a flat tire, which ultimately led to the wheel failing. Fortunately, the rider was unharmed in the incident and managed to finish the opening Flemish classic.
< "Not caused by rim design"
> Cadex, Jayco AlUla's wheel sponsor, felt compelled to issue a statement after the incident, explaining the cause of the wheel failure during the race. The statement aligns with the cycling team's explanation after the race. According to Cadex, Capiot hit a pothole at approximately 47 to 48 kilometers per hour, after which he continued riding over the cobblestones with a flat tire.
> "This caused the rim to crack. This structural rim failure led to spokes detaching from the hub, and the wheel subsequently collapsed. It was this structural failure that caused the tire to come off the rim. The tire's failure during this incident was not caused by the rim's hookless design," the Cadex statement reads.