"I'm very proud that I was there and that I was able to contribute my bit" - Tiesj Benoot proud of what Belgium has achieved at the Olympic Games

As expected, it was mainly a big battle between Mathieu van der Poel and Belgians lead by Remco Evenepoel and Wout Van Aert. And while Van Aert was able to completely neutralize the Dutchman's multiple attacks, the time trial Olympic champion Evenepoel doubled down and won also in the road race.

But none of that would've been possible without the selfless work of his loyal teammates Jasper Stuyven and Tiesj Benoot who controlled the race all the way until the final circuit. 

"I had a really good day," Benoot looks back at the golden Saturday at Sporza. "I had the legs to play an important role in the final, but it also went without saying that we had to take responsibility. We did that. It was certainly important not to let the group that rode away just before the local lap get too far away."

"Remco finished it off brilliantly. I met Fred Wright and Nils Politt at the end, all of them riders he passed. They all didn't look so good," laughs Benoot. "I'm very proud that I was there and that I was able to contribute my bit."

"We rode the perfect race," adds Jasper Stuyven. "Remco said yesterday that he thought that was a good place to go. And he does that fanatically. The realization still has to come a little bit, this is a unique experience. I won't forget this quickly," Stuyven looks back on the Olympic road race with more than satisfaction.