"I perhaps should have attacked a bit earlier" - Wout Van Aert on final Tirreno attack; Tobias Johannessen second against 'simply the stongest' Del Toro

The queen stage of Tirreno-Adriatico saw Team Visma | Lease a Bike very active, as the only team who really tried to disrupt a battle on the final climb where Isaac del Toro was always going to be difficult to beat. Wout Van Aert describes the team's tactics and his late attack; Whilst Tobias Johannessen reflects on his second place only behind the Mexican.

"It was another tough stage today. But I felt a lot better than yesterday. We took our chance. I think Matteo just fell a little short," Van Aert said in words to Sporza. "We wanted to make a bid for the overall victory. Our goal was to isolate Del Toro, and that worked out quite well. But the final climb was so tough that it was man-to-man. Unfortunately, there wasn't much we could do tactically."

Van Aert had already tried to get in the day's breakaway early on; and then paced for Jorgenson in Visma's attempt to raid the race entering the final lap. With a course that favoured the climbers, a stage win was never up for grabs when he launched a late attack a kilometer before the final ascent, but there was a reason behind the move.

"I tried to survive the first steep section so I could still do something on the flatter part," he explains. "I perhaps should have attacked a bit earlier to gain a bigger lead. But that also costs energy". Ultimately, the GC group entered the climb at full speed with Ben Healy attacking from the base, and so Van Aert's presence in front didn't last long.

"Once those guys rode past me, it was a matter of pedaling as hard as possible to get to the top." He has used this race and this stage also as preparation for Milano-Sanremo and the cobbled classics, putting in big efforts so as to try and improve his form into a key part of the season.

"It is difficult to simulate this in training. Here, the pace is set by someone, and you have to respond to attacks. It is a cliché, but you cannot replicate that solely in training," he argues. "There have been a few stages where I could do my thing. I came close to victory. In terms of how I feel, I am satisfied."

Out front, Matteo Jorgenson attacked towards the finale, only followed by Isaac del Toro. The American then lacked the legs in the final meters of the stage, and was overtaken by Tobias Johannessen who showed great form all week long and rode to second on the queen stage.

"I think Del Toro was simply the strongest, and we were able to fight behind him. My brother Anders did a great job in the finale, so I just had to give it my all," he said in following the stage. Whilst it did not end in a way, it ultimately sees the Norwegian climb to a strong fourth place in the overall classification.

"I think I can be proud, and the team can be proud, of what we've done. There's still one stage to go, so we can try to do well there too. It's been a good week," he admits. "The next goals will be the Basque Country and then the Ardennes Classics."