Tudor’s Rick Pluimers already has his teeth back after Omloop crash

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad was an especially wild race for Rick Pluimers. The Tudor rider crashed on the Molenberg, slipping out on greasy cobbles of the wildly steep climb while trying to chase Florian Vermeersch.

Pluimers was then semi-bunny hopped by Mathieu van der Poel, with the Dutch superstar just barely avoiding running over the Tudor rider’s head.

Van der Poel went on to victory.

Pluimers went to the dentist.

“I immediately felt that my teeth were gone,” the Tudor rider told Wielerflits. “I had just come off the top of a cobble when I felt my front wheel slip. I hit the ground with my face.”

“I would have preferred to put the race into a decisive situation in a different way…”

It wasn’t just the loss of the teeth that stung, though that was likely none too comfortable.

“That was really disappointing. I think a lot was possible today because I felt good. But if you crash, you can’t show that,” Pluimers said, adding “I would have preferred to put the race into a decisive situation in a different way.”

With Vermeersch up the road and van der Poel one of the few riders to make it around the downed Pluimers cleanly, those who did dodge the Tudor rider found themselves alone on the front. The group that formed would make up the group that chased van der Poel winning move up Muur later in the race.

Plumiers apologized to the riders he held up, though his was far from the only crash that day, adding “I would rather have stayed on the bike.”

It wasn’t that long later that toothless (literally) interview the Tudor rider posted a photo of himself at the dentist. Beaming, teeth intact, with a thanks to the dentist and the caption “”Got my teeth and smile back.”

We’re glad Plumiers is happy and healthy after the crash, if likely still a bit sore. His team said it’s not quite enough for him to start Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne tomorrow, but it shouldn’t be long before he’s back on the road.

Omloop proved to be a rough day all-round for the Tudor squad. Stephan Küng also fractured his leg in one of the race’s other crashes and will require surgery.