This is what national coach Moerenhout said "with teary eyes" to Mathieu van der Poel during his World Championship glory ride

In his car, Moerenhout must have been sweating bullets at the moment he heard about the fall of his protégé. "It can't be, that was the first thing I thought. We had just heard that he had an eight-second lead, and then he fell... we were just behind Van Aert and Pedersen at that moment, but heard on the radio that he was back on the bike. At least that was positive."

Eventually, the incredibly strong Van der Poel quickly regained his lead, allowing the Dutch coach to pull his car alongside his rider and speak to him. "I told him to enjoy it and that it was historic. Initially, I told him the time difference and that he should take no more risks because the difference had been made. We could also see that it was over behind him."

"I was sitting in the car with teary eyes, I won't deny that," admits Moerenhout. "You are witnessing something special, we can't deny that. Even as coaches, together with the whole team, you are working incredibly hard at such a super World Championship, which is really not easy. It must be done in a good, professional way."

The Dutch team, where the riders that had given up cheered Van der Poel to victory off Montrose Street, now has a great celebration ahead. "How will we celebrate? We will have to think about that, as we haven't jinxed it by ordering everything in advance," Moerenhout laughs broadly. "We've planned for everyone to stay, making a deliberate choice not to leave immediately. It's an extraordinarily special moment, a truly beautiful experience." Last year, some European Championship participants had to leave early after Fabio Jakobsen's victory to catch a flight.