Van Aert draws harsh conclusion after failed comeback in E3: "I was here to achieve a good result"

Cycling fans will have asked this question many times in the run-up to the E3 Saxo Bank Classic on Friday: how good is Wout van Aert after his altitude training? The Belgian rider of Visma | Lease a Bike returned to competition in his home country on Friday in the Belgian classic, but in the end, was unable to keep up with Mads Pedersen's acceleration on the Taaienberg. As a result, he could not compete for a top spot in the E3 Saxo Classic, won by Mathieu van der Poel. Afterward, he and his teammate Matteo Jorgenson told their side of the story.

"Meh, in the background," Van Aert sighed when asked how he experienced the Belgian WorldTour classic on Friday afternoon. The reason for this is evident to everyone, including the Belgian himself. "I missed the attack on the Taaienberg. I was a bit too far back. I was just behind the breakaway when we arrived at the Taaienberg, in about twentieth position. From then on, I had to start chasing..."

He ended up with an anonymous role in the final, even though he tried to make the most of it. "I then tried to get to the front with the better riders in the group, but it took a long time before they made room for us. On the Oude Kwaremont, I rode away with Florian Vermeersch and tried to get into the top spots."

Read more below the photo!

Van Aert finished 15th in the E3 Saxo Classic on Friday

Van Aert hard on himself: "It didn't work out"

In the end, Van Aert finished fifteenth in the day's results, which once again emphasizes that cycling is also a sport of details. "I was in a pretty good position, but the slightest differences matter just before the Taaienberg. So I wasn't in a good enough position to compete." Only Van der Poel and Filippo Ganna could keep up with him when Pedersen accelerated, while Van Aert was too far behind.

So shortly after the race, the Belgian could not say what feeling dominated. "That's hard to say. I did ride a good final, but of course, I had hoped to be more involved in the race before that." Thirty-year-old Van Aert is hard on himself. "I was here to achieve a good result, and I didn't succeed," the Visma | Lease a Bike star concludes candidly.

Continue below the photo

Jorgenson also came to Harelbeke to get a result

Jorgenson, the other leader on the Visma | Lease a Bike team, also missed the battle on the Taaienberg on Friday despite good legs. "I felt quite good today, but on the Taaienberg, we weren’t in the best position, so we were not able to react to the accelerations at the front. I ended up in a chasing group, but because of my earlier efforts, I didn’t have much left in the tank,” the American said in a press release afterward.

For Jorgenson, too, there was little choice but to chase. "After the accelerations on the Taaienberg, I found myself further back,” said the Belgian. “I tried several times to force something, but in the end, it proved too difficult. Overall, I rode a decent final, but I can’t be satisfied with my race. I came here to get a result, and that did not happen," Jorgenson uses the same words as his teammate Van Aert.

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Get every week the latest news about CYCLING in your inbox!

Subscribe