Van der Poel mimics 🫡 emoji, was unaware of Van Aert's crash and surprises himself: "I thought I'd need more races"

At the finish line, Van der Poel's joy was palpable. "I celebrated with an emoji I frequently send to friends. This victory is incredibly satisfying, especially since I hadn't yet claimed the E3. I'm thrilled, particularly with how it all played out. It was a day to savor," he radiated during the post-race interview.

The successful attack on the Paterberg was just one of many attempts by the man in the rainbow jersey. "It's hard to condense it all," he remarked about his win. "The team was outstanding once again, and I tried to open up the race on the Taaienberg. With a sizable group persisting, I picked my moments to turn up the intensity."

It succeeded on the Paterberg, although it required a crash from Van Aert. However, Van der Poel was unaware of this. "I don't know what happened; I only heard that they had fallen," he says honestly, before learning it was Van Aert who had crashed. At that moment, Van der Poel was already focused on the 41 kilometers still ahead. "It was still quite a distance to the finish."

After the attack, it seemed for a moment that Van Aert might catch up, but the Belgian from Visma | Lease a Bike never got closer than ten seconds. Van der Poel wasn't phased. "I didn't really think much, just that he was going to come back. I just kept riding at the wattages I could maintain, and that kept me ahead. It's unfortunate for the race that Wout crashed there, but I was already planning to attack at that point, even though I felt I was a bit off my best. I managed to push through over the Paterberg. After that, I rode as hard as I could. It was about gauging my effort as well as possible and not looking back. On the Karnemelkbeekstraat, I made one final push to break Wout."

While all the other riders behind him were grimacing, Van der Poel seemed able to keep going in the rain. "Luckily, it wasn't cold. I made sure I stayed warm myself. Moreover, I don't mind racing in these conditions, especially not when the final has already started. Hopefully, I'll be recovered by Sunday, because I was quite cooked at the end too."

On Sunday, Van der Poel is set to start at Gent-Wevelgem. And anyone who checks the Dutchman's record knows enough. "Gent-Wevelgem isn't on my list yet, but we have Jasper Philipsen as the favorite. Hopefully, we can win the race with Alpecin-Deceuninck again."

For Van der Poel, after Milan-San Remo and the E3, everything is superb. "I never draw conclusions, not when I'm not good and not when I am good. Every race has to be ridden anew, and I can only be satisfied with the level I've reached. I didn't necessarily expect this and thought I needed a few more races to get to this level."