"As a WorldTour rider, you don’t often get the chance to do something just for fun" - Wout Van Aert enjoys return to racing and victory at Marly Grav

Wout Van Aert has returned to racing today at the Marly Grav event in Valkenburg, the Netherlands. The Team Visma | Lease a Bike rider, a month after his Paris-Roubaix win, has returned to his winning ways with a triumph over some notable names and enjoyed the day's racing.

“I haven’t prepared for this at all over the past month. But as a WorldTour rider, you don’t often get the chance to do something just for fun. In all the gravel races I’ve done, I’ve really enjoyed myself, and that is what I want to do again today," van Aert said in an interview with Het Laatste Nieuws.

Van Aert, an experienced cyclocross rider, has also raced gravel in the past. However, combining the two disciplines and putting his full focus on the roads doesn't often allow him to race in the discipline. But the pieces fit perfectly for this Sunday's race, where the world champion Florian Vermeersch was also present after a similar spring and the upcoming Tour de France.

Van Aert ended his spring campaign at Paris-Roubaix with a career-changing win. This allowed him to take a few weeks to recover physically and mentally; whilst having time to put in the race number one more time before the traditional May altitude camp which is used to prepare the Tour de France.

The event featured lots of seasoned gravel pros, as well as a few names that often battle for victories in the road and cyclocross. Alpecin-Premier Tech's Niels Vandeputte rode to second place; But Van Aert's domination was undeniable, as a move with around 25 kilometers to go saw no response from his rivals.

“I felt I had something in the legs, so I waited for a hard moment in the race. That turned out to be the right moment to go," he added. “I’m less tired than I was a month ago in Roubaix, but it was a hard day and although I enjoyed it, I really suffered as well.”

However he was aware that risks existed in an off-road race. His last had been at the Exact Cross Mol, where he crashed and suffered an ankle fracture. But without the pressure, the Belgian was able to enjoy the racing and build on the upcoming difficult period with another motivating win.

“One of my goals today was to stay out of trouble. Crashing here was not worth it".