"I want to seize opportunities that come" - Wout van Aert hungry for European Championships title

After his bronze medal in the individual time-trial, Wout van Aert is hungry for gold in the men's elite European Championships road race as he looks to finish his campaign on a high.

“That's certainly what I'm going for," says the Belgian who earlier this year finished second at the World Championships in Glasgow, in conversation with Wielerflits. "I want to have another nice post-season. If a European Championship comes along with it, then that is of course something very nice to work towards."

With the man who beat him Glasgow, Mathieu van der Poel not competing at the European Championships, does that make van Aert the favourite? "I think of Christophe Laporte. He must be able to do this too. But I expect a lot from the Italian bloc, they are always traditionally strong and race together," he says of his rivals. "You always focus on blocks that can really make things difficult for you. Then I think the Italians and the French have the strongest teams.”

"I'm motivated here," van Aert concludes. "Being ill has had a bit of an impact on my form. In the time trial I felt that I was a little worse than in England a week earlier. I hope that I can say on Sunday that I needed the time trial to take another step. I want to seize opportunities that come. So we're going to try that.”