"I had the legs to do more, that's for sure" - Wout van Aert laments further Paris-Roubaix disappointment

We were on course for a thrilling finale at Paris-Roubaix on Sunday as both Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel looked set to enter the velodrome together. Sadly for the Belgian, a puncture ended his race-winning ambitions, a heart-breaking development for van Aert.

“The moment I attacked I felt that I had an idler. I took a left turn and almost slid out of there because of a flat rear tire. The last kilometre of Carrefour de l'Arbre I was flat behind,” the Jumbo-Visma star reveals to Wielerflits. "At the time of my flat tire, I had started to attack myself. I felt very strong there. Even on a flat tire I was almost in van der Poel's wheel at the end of that five-star streak. I had the legs to do more, that's for sure.”

This latest disappointment for van Aert means that he still, almost unbelievably for something of his immense talent, only has the sole monument victory to his name. It's also another anti climax for Jumbo-Visma who despite their perceived dominance also lack a monument win so far this season. "It's a pity for everyone in our team that we miss a really big classic this spring. But we should be proud of how we rode," says the 28-year-old. "It's easy to say it's all about winning. It is also about how you present yourself as a team, how you show yourself. I think we did well and hopefully that entertained the fans.”

"We should be proud of the way we raced. We aimed for more, especially in the last two monuments. But every course has its story. It would be a real shame if you called this spring a failure," van Aert continues. "Especially when you see how we drove. That makes me proud. When I look at myself, I was always in the final of the biggest races. I have always done what I could do.”