“He was the strongest. You have to admit that” - Wout van Aert pays respect to Van der Poel after thrilling Tirreno-Adriatico sprint battle

Wout van Aert admitted the sense of a missed opportunity after Mathieu van der Poel edged him in the sprint at the end of a gripping fourth stage of Tirreno-Adriatico, but the Belgian was quick to acknowledge that his long-time rival had ultimately been the strongest rider in the decisive finale.

The Visma | Lease a Bike leader played a central role in shaping the stage as the race exploded on the steep ramps in the closing kilometres. After the aggressive work of his team forced a reduced selection of contenders, Van Aert found himself among the riders fighting for victory when the stage came down to a sprint.

In the end, Van der Poel’s perfectly timed acceleration proved decisive.

“He was the strongest. You have to admit that,” Van Aert said afterwards in comments reported by Sporza.

The foundations for the finale had been laid by Team Visma | Lease a Bike on the brutal gradients that punctuated the final circuit. Matteo Jorgenson drove a fierce tempo on the climbs to thin out the peloton, ensuring that only a small group of contenders remained in the fight for victory.

Van Aert survived the selection alongside riders such as Van der Poel and Filippo Ganna, while many of the fast finishers had already been dropped before the final kilometres. “It’s always difficult to sprint in a small group,” Van Aert explained.

The Belgian had also been one of the most active riders in the finale itself. As the group approached the finish, he personally responded to late attacks from Jan Christen and Ganna in an attempt to prevent a decisive move from going clear. “I reacted too quickly to that late move. I had already done my sprint there,” he admitted.

Although the sprint ultimately slipped away, Van Aert still pointed to the work of his teammates earlier in the stage as one of the key positives of the day. “We rode a really good race,” he said.

Timo Kielich played a crucial role in positioning the team before the decisive climbs, allowing Jorgenson to take over and drive the pace on the steep ramps that splintered the peloton. “Kielich was very attentive at the front. He played a crucial role in positioning us well for the climb. When you have someone like Jorgenson to thin out the group, you know that not many riders can follow.”

The cost of that effort was significant, however. “My feeling there? Pain,” Van Aert laughed. “For a moment I was over my limit.”

Those steep ramps had the intended effect of reducing the field, but crucially, the riders Van Aert most wanted to distance were still present. “I know it’s necessary to drop the fastest riders, but riders like Mathieu and Ganna were still there. Those are very difficult to beat.”

When the sprint finally opened in the final metres, Van der Poel launched from distance and quickly created a gap that nobody else could close. “Mathieu went from far out,” Van Aert said. “Once he went, nobody could get onto his wheel.”

Although the immediate feeling was one of frustration after coming so close to victory, the Belgian still saw reasons for encouragement in both his own performance and the way his team had raced throughout the stage.

“Right now the missed opportunity stands out,” he admitted. “But I’m satisfied. It was a good day.”

This Tortoreto duel serves as a critical temperature check for next week’s Milano-Sanremo. While Van Aert’s team-driven tactics showed Visma’s collective strength, his admission of an 'over-reaction' to late moves suggests he is still fine-tuning his racing instinct after his early-season injury. Conversely, Van der Poel's ability to win despite being the target of the entire peloton signals that the World Champion is entering his peak form exactly when it matters most.