Key to even getting as close he did to Laporte was a monumental effort by
Arnaud De Lie to try and bridge the gap. "Arnaud's turn was crucial," says van Aert, full of praise for his young compatriot. "I don't know where Christophe gets it from, because he was still riding really well. I just couldn't get over him.”
“It is of course always difficult in such a leading group. When one is gone, you want to get to him. But you also don't want to waste too much strength," analyses van Aert with a tinge of regret. "In retrospect, we may have waited too long for the countries that had a couple to make a choice. Maybe we should have talked more quickly with the Dutch and the Danes.”