Wout van Aert had hoped he would be able to go toe-to-toe with the very best, but on Sunday the Belgian from Visma | Lease a Bike had to admit defeat relatively early in his battle with Tadej Pogačar, Mathieu van der Poel and Remco Evenepoel after the Tour of Flanders. Van Aert reacted afterwards through the team's channels.
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For a brief moment, Van Aert looked as if he might have miracle legs. When Pogačar launched hard on the penultimate ascent of the Oude Kwaremont, Van Aert was right there on his wheel in the yellow-and-black jersey and Red Bull helmet. But the climb proved just a little too long for him, and once he cracked, he never saw the front of the race again.
In the end, Van Aert fought his way to fourth place, still holding off Mads Pedersen. However, it was not what he had come for. "The legs spoke today," was the honest verdict of the Belgian afterwards. For once it was not due to external factors.
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Van Aert simply could not do any better in the Tour of Flanders
“I was well positioned going into the Oude Kwaremont for the second time, but in the end I just couldn’t hold on for long enough. At the end, I blew up a little, which is something I’m quite disappointed about.” he continued, sounding honest.
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And so Van Aert found himself in a battle for fourth place, in which he eventually lost Pedersen. “Mads and I worked well together in the chase, after which I kept fighting all the way to the finish. I’m satisfied with my performance, but I had hoped for a better result.”
Team manager Grischa Niermann also agreed. “Unfortunately, Wout just couldn’t quite go with them, but the pecking order was clear today. Pogacar was by far the strongest. Wout can be proud of the race he rode. There were simply three riders who were stronger. Christophe also rode a strong race.”
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.