Van Aert in awe of crucial performance Kuss: "Less than 60 kilos and such powerful pulls, it gave me goosebumps"

Van Aert was one of the few fast riders to survive the final climb, the summit of which was about 25 kilometers from the finish. "I expected the group at the finish to be larger," he said afterward, expressing some surprise. "I knew the climb in the finale would be tough, but I didn’t expect it to explode like that."

Despite the high pace, Van Aert held on well. However, in the final stretch, he had only Sepp Kuss left to control the race. "That was really difficult, but Sepp put in such an incredible effort. I don’t know if people realize what it’s like to weigh less than sixty kilos and do such powerful pulls on the flat. It gave me goosebumps, and I just wanted to finish it off. This is a very big victory."

Before the sprint, Van Aert also tried to break away himself. "I wanted to surprise them, but I saw the UAE guys riding behind me. So I stopped because I didn’t want to waste my energy too early. Kuss did an amazing job keeping everything together after that." Van Aert emphasized that Kuss' selflessness reflects the team's spirit. "In our team, it’s not just about winning, but also about working together as a team. A big part of that is everyone being willing to sacrifice for each other. To have the defending champion work so hard for you is a great example of our team philosophy. For that reason, I’m very proud."

The man receiving all the praise, Sepp Kuss, spoke to Eurosport after the race. "We had marked this stage for Wout, but we knew it would be challenging, especially with the pace on the final climb. When I saw that Wout was still in such a select group, I knew he was having a good day. I then tried to keep everything together. However, it was a real struggle to reel Soler back in. It feels like a victory for me too. It was really fun to do this with Wout."

It was a tense moment for the Visma riders when Soler broke away, and they also feared other attacks. "We might have made a small mistake by slowing down a bit to ask other teams to help. On the other hand, you always have attacks in a small group. But Wout was calm and focused, and he knew which attacks to follow and which not to."