"I just had nothing left in the sprint. Remco Evenepoel really broke me" - Wout van Aert makes no excuse as Brabantse Pijl close call ensure wait for win goes on
CyclingSaturday, 19 April 2025 at 09:20
Wout van Aert's wait for a win in 2025 goes on. The Belgian came up just short at Brabantse Pijl 2025, losing out to compatriot Remco Evenepoel on the his return to racing in a thrilling two-up sprint for the line on Friday afternoon.
Although the disappointment was obvious after yet another close call, Van Aert was not looking to make excuses afterwards, instead opting to praise his fellow Belgian, who was making his first appearance in the peloton of the season. “Of course, I would’ve preferred to win - especially in this situation,” Van Aert said honestly in his post-race interview after crossing the line. “But I just had nothing left in the sprint. Remco really broke me in that final hour; even just staying on his wheel was a struggle. He deserved the win. That’s why I’m not too disappointed - he was simply the stronger rider today.”
Is there a real cause for concern when it comes to Van Aert's sprint though? This is far from the first time this season that the Team Visma | Lease a Bike star, who don't forget has won numerous Grand Tour sprints, has been beaten by riders you'd always expect him to finish faster than. “I wish I had an answer to why my sprint hasn’t been coming together in races," admits Van Aert in conclusion. "The only explanation I have for today is that I suffered a lot and was already over my limit before the sprint even started.”
The positive for Van Aert and Visma however, is that surely, if he keeps knocking on the door of a win in this manner, it can't be to long before he finally gets it right in the finale and with the Amstel Gold Race and the Giro d'Italia coming up for the 30-year-old, there is still hope of big wins this year.
Read also
Remco Evenepoel qui tape Wout Van Aert dans un sprint à 2 non c'est fort de la part de Remco mais Wout ça m'attriste #DBP25 pic.twitter.com/Ysw1qTFRK8
— Cycling Legend (@CyclingLegend_) April 18, 2025
claps 3visitors 3
Just in
Subscribe to our Daily Newsletter today!
Apr 06, 15:11
0
Popular news
Latest comments
- Its everyman for himself at UAE if no Pogi. This was the case since last 3 yearsabstractengineer10-05-2025
- That is some very unfortunate news for Mikel Landa. Thankfully his injuries weren't worse than they are, and he'll eventually heal from this.
santiagobenites10-05-2025 - Wout is an absolute warrior. Trek bossed them all. And JV was nowhere. That being said Id love to see wout winning he’s such a good guy. The giro is long so here’s hoping. I don’t like this article that he should be happy with 2ndmij10-05-2025
- Ineos pretend Thymen's loss is not a big deal, but I don't think this is a good sign. I hope Bernal is fit, would be good for him to have another shot at normal life.Ride197410-05-2025
- To finish second to Mads Petersen in a photo finish, after such a chaotic first stage where Lidl-Trek controlled the race to perfection, while the Visma team was conspicuouly absent, is nothing to be ashamed about. During the interview, Wout was visibly spent, more so than Mads.. but I felt he was more a victor than a loser, given the circumstances. I'm excited to see what Wout will do in this Giro.FredMan10-05-2025
- I feel for Spain. Landa was one of their only two realistic GC hopes.Ride197410-05-2025
- Since the TT has a lot of sharp turns, does that perhaps play in Mads' favor, since he can sprint out of corners faster than many?Ride197410-05-2025
- The point of the article is well taken. Don’t judge a riders grand tour results after one stage. But he is slowly becoming a regular second.mij10-05-2025
- I’m disagreeing with the headline and tone of the article. I don’t even see Wout quoted. And he doesn’t offer excuses. My comment stands. He has no wins in his cobbled monuments. And is second too many times. And shouldn’t accept these results.mij10-05-2025
- Hey, Wout is one of the least excuse seeking riders out there, read the article again and let’s wait and see over the 3 weeks. Also a bad sign if you’re willing to give up on him faster than himself.Mistermaumau09-05-2025
I'm sure in the Giro you will be brilliant... (maybe fight for GC? this Giro is soft).
I can't wait! I will go to watch and cheer for you!
I watched the last 40k. Wout's body lanquage spoke volumes. In the last 10k. Remco was nose breathing. Wouts jaw was dropping with his mouth wide open he was just hanging on. He made a good fist of disguising it and taking turns, you could see that he was tiring. This will do him good, he will come good I'm sure. It's getting harder and harder though with Pogagar and Evenpoel around.
More and more guys to share the spoils, of which he didn’t get many when he had a better chance. Looks thinner. I hope he enjoys battling for the Giro, maybe good for him to focus on a different kind of goal.
Maybe his knee injury and subsequent power loss on that leg. Otherwise, there is no reason why Wout can't score a win this season.