Italians criticize passive Belgians after feared Van der Poel broke away: "Without us, they would have made it"

They rode at the back all day in the European Championship in Flanders, doing everything to set up a sprint for Jonathan Milan. However, the sprint bomb from Lidl-Trek didn't materialize, making all the Italian effort in vain. This caused disappointment among the always passionate Azzurri.

National coach Daniele Bennati observed that Matteo Trentin responded to nearly every attack, neutralizing 99 percent of the moves in the hilly Limburg region. However, he couldn’t prevent the feared targets Mathieu van der Poel, Mads Pedersen, and Christophe Laporte from breaking away and briefly leading a group of six. "We were prepared for every scenario because it was clear that Van der Poel and Pedersen didn’t want a sprint. They would want to create chaos," Bennati had said before the race to Bici Pro.

Afterwards, Bennati concluded that Van der Poel and his group managed to execute their plan. "There was one scenario we had to avoid, but unfortunately, the race developed in such a way that we had to take responsibility for chasing down that leading group of six. For that, we had to sacrifice Edoardo Affini and Mattia Cattaneo, who could have been very useful in the final three kilometers. The main goal was to ensure Jonathan didn’t get boxed in and to come out at the right moment. Unfortunately, we had to go with 1,300 meters to go, and thus the men from behind caught up."

"We shouldn’t have allowed this situation to arise," Bennati added sternly. He noted that Belgium had managed things better by sacrificing one rider for the chase while keeping the rest in the sprint trains of Tim Merlier and Jasper Philipsen. "They exhausted us and wore out our riders. The chase cost us two men." However, Mirco Maestri, as a domestique, didn’t believe Italy could have done things differently. "If we hadn’t been there, Van der Poel and Pedersen would have succeeded. Unfortunately, with fewer men, we couldn’t maintain the pace in the sprint, and Jonathan couldn’t sprint as a result."

Read more below the photo.

Italy did become European Time Trial Champion at the European Championships with Affini (and it won the Mixed Team Relay)

Laporte saves the day for France

In addition to Italy, France was also active in the chase. Rémi Cavagna took on the early hours of the race, working behind a leading group of five. Ultimately, it was Laporte who managed to join Van der Poel and Pedersen as they approached the final stretch. "It was a restless race, which was exactly what we wanted. That's why we were involved," Laporte told Cyclism'Actu.

"I have no regrets about my race," said the Frenchman from Visma | Lease a Bike. "I was in the group with Van der Poel and Pedersen, and the understanding was good. However, it deteriorated a bit afterward, so we focused on the sprint train for Arnaud Démare. We were always well-positioned at the front but never found an opportunity to sprint."

The group with Laporte was eventually caught due to Italy’s efforts. "They were very strong today. I was in the best possible group, but I'm not sure why the cooperation decreased. We felt that it wasn’t going to work out."

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"A real disappointment": Mathieu van der Poel reflects on the European Cycling Championship in Belgium

Belgium stuns the Netherlands at the European Championship: Van der Poel silenced, Kooij overpowered by Merlier