"It was a bit of a shock how far behind I was" - Time-trial disappointment for Wout van Aert

Wout van Aert had big hopes of taking a stunning double success at the 2023 Glasgow World Championships. Finishing second on Sunday in the road race and fifth in the individual time-trial, it's disappointment for the Belgian.

“At the first intermediate time check it was a bit of a shock how far behind I was. My communication didn't work very well, that was a bit awkward. But that did not prevent me from riding faster,” the 28-year-old explained in his post-race interview with Sporza. “It was a very difficult time trial. In the first part the wind was against, so you were not allowed to start too fast. I think I started a little too cautiously myself.”

1:37 down on his Belgian teammate and now, new World Champion, Remco Evenepoel at the line, van Aert pointed out his wattage was high and despite missing out on the title and the podium, he maintains his performance levels are high.

“Afterwards I saw that my average wattage is also very high, so I can't really expect more. I felt ready to ride the time trial and I also rode how I wanted," he concludes. "It is of course no surprise that Remco wins. It is great that he does that on this course, as a lightweight. That proves once again what a class act he is.”