"I’m very happy with how I raced" - Wout van Aert shows signs of life with 4th placed finish at Tour of Flanders 2025

Wout van Aert has had a difficult 2025 season so far, both on and off the bike. After the recent disappointment of Dwars Door Vlaanderen, criticism of the Belgian reached a fever pitch. Impressively though, Van Aert has bounced back very strongly at the 2025 Tour of Flanders, despite eventually being forced to settle for 4th place at the line.

Having been able to consistently keep pace with the likes of Tadej Pogacar and Mathieu van der Poel, it wasn't until the very last ascent of the Oude Kwaremont that Van Aert was finally distanced properly. Even then though, the Belgian showed bright sparks attack before the climb in an albeit sacrificial move to try and get ahead of the imminent Pogacar attack.

"I’m very happy with how I raced," reflected a more than content Van Aert in his post-race interview afterwards with Belgian media. "I didn’t burn out today. When we got back into the race towards the last time up the Oude Kwaremont, I didn’t want to just get dropped, so I wanted to try something. When you see how Tadej came by, it was definitely a smart move to try and start with a lead."

"Tadej was the strongest today. Everyone was at their limit when he made his move. It’s really gratifying for me. In the final, you hope for a spot on the podium, but I can accept fourth place," adds the Team Visma | Lease a Bike superstar. "I knew Mads Pedersen would go early in the sprint, but I wanted to stay in his slipstream for as long as possible to still have a chance to do something."

And with Paris-Roubaix very much in mind for the likes of Van Aert, there is now reason to be optimistic. "Yes, for sure. Even though things didn’t go as expected last Wednesday, I never lost my motivation and kept working, and it really pays off now. Especially the second time up the Kwaremont, those long efforts suited me best," he concludes.