📸 Inside van Aert’s final spring week (including the perfect recovery meal after Amstel Gold Race)

Van Aert ended his classic period on Sunday with a fourth place in the Amstel Gold Race. He had already achieved the same result during the two previous Sundays in the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. In between, he also finished second in Dwars door Vlaanderen and the Brabantse Pijl. It was a good spring but without that cherry on top.

In Berg en Terblijt, he did end on a mental high, winning the sprint for fourth place against Michael Matthews. He was very happy about that on the bus. "It looked good. Do not ask me why that is," said sports director Arthur van Dongen. "But he feels it's a positive end to this spring, in which he finished fourth three times, mind you."

Van Aert himself felt the same way. "I'm pleased with how I've ridden in recent weeks. A victory is missing, but I'm happy with my level. I'll probably put my bike away for three days, but then I'll start focusing on the Giro," said the Visma | Lease a Bike rider, who will prepare for the Tour of Italy with a training camp in Lucca.

In his photo overview of week sixteen, we see some race photos and his hard-earned recovery meal from the chip shop after the Amstel Gold Race.