No matter what he told everyone else, only Van Aert himself really knew: "I'm very happy about this"

"It's always important to get a win early on in the season," the Belgian said afterward in the flash interview. "It's good for the confidence, and that's especially true for a sprint because it's never easy. So, I'm very happy with that." His lead-out, Julien Vermote, let him find his own way forward from about seven kilometers from the finish, which the cyclo-cross rider managed well.

"It was a bit chaotic to move up front," said Van Aert, who thus had to drop back a bit due to the lack of a sprint train. "We were on a fairly wide road towards the last, straight line, so I had to gamble a bit and come from behind. However, I was in a good position heading into the last corner. With the slight uphill stretch and the headwind, I think it was good to come up from behind."

With this victory, Van Aert also gains some bonus seconds heading into the final weekend of the Tour of the Algarve. "I'm in a good position in the general classification, and it was always my plan to deliver a good time trial, so hopefully, we can keep some more men high in the classification. That way we can make it a beautiful last stage." Sepp Kuss and Jan Tratnik, his Visma | Lease a Bike colleagues, are also doing well in the classification.

"Remco Evenepoel is the top favorite, that seems clear to me. He already has a lead and is the world champion in time trialing, so for me, he's the biggest contender. But I was also surprised by the level some other riders reached on the climb of Alto de Foia, so it will definitely come down to the stage on Sunday," he says, looking ahead to the final stage, with the finish at the top of Alto de Malhao.