"I'm not in much pain" - Wout van Aert shrugs off Tirreno-Adriatico crash

Wout van Aert has had his opportunity today at Tirreno-Adriatico, and was showing good signs and the possibility of fighting for a stage win. That ended when he crashed in sight of the final ascent, and the Jumbo-Visma reports on his injuries.

“I tried to crawl through a hole and Tom hooked into me from behind," van Aert told Sporza and Het Laatste Nieuws. "It is an incident that can happen. I'm not in much pain, but I'm well planed. I hope it's okay otherwise. I can be satisfied with my legs, although the heaviest was yet to come. The fact that Primoz wins is of course a big plaster on the wound.”

The crash happened with just over 4 kilometers to go, as the two classics stars collided with each other. Only the duo crashed, albeit getting up shortly after and shrugging off the injuries. It was far from an ideal end to a day where both were termed big favourites to take the win, however the Dutch team nevertheless proved successful at the end of the day as Primoz Roglic took the stage win.

"It's great when you start with such a team. Then you know that you always have several opportunities. It's not my habit to fall, but you see it happened quickly. It is very good that the boys kept a cool head and that Primoz was able to finish it," van Aert concluded. Tomorrow he will most likely ride in support of the Slovenian, and access if his injuries have taken a toll on his performance.