Wellens just misses the podium in Jaén Paraiso: "Flat tire of Van Aert changed little in the race"

"We didn't anticipate the breakaway lasting until the end," Wellens commented. "With Igor Arrieta up front, we were in a good position, but when he got dropped, our chances diminished. It's part of racing, but we still chased hard. In the end, we couldn't reel in Lazkano, who showed impressive strength."

However, with thirty kilometers remaining, top favorite Wout van Aert abandoned the race after suffering a flat tire. This left the yellow-and-black brigade of Visma | Lease a Bike with Sepp Kuss and Jan Tratnik as their main contenders. The duo accelerated on the next gravel stretch and bridged the gap to the front group, consisting of riders like Wellens, Kwiatkowski, the surprising Frenchman Bastien Tronchon, and Ivan Garcia Cortina from Movistar, who was working for his teammate at the front. "We thought that if we rode well with the group, we might still catch Lazkano, but that's easy to say in hindsight. Van Aert's flat tire may have altered the dynamics of the race, but Visma | Lease a Bike still had two strong riders in contention. Ultimately, Lazkano simply deserved to win."