"It was immediately clear that it was a battle for second and third" - Tim Wellens narrowly misses podium at E3 Saxo Classic

Friday, 22 March 2024 at 19:00

Best of the UAE Team Emirates lineup at a thrilling edition of the E3 Saxo Classic on Thursday afternoon in Flanders, Tim Wellens narrowly missed out on the podium, finishing fourth.

“It was a super difficult, but very nice race,” the 32-year-old Belgian in a post-race interview with Wielerflits. “Everyone knew something was going to happen on the Traaienberg. In the end, everyone sat together. Ultimately it turned out that Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert were the best in the race. Behind it, we had a good spin and at the end, the legs simply spoke. Everyone ended up in their place here.”

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With two key incidents happening on the Paterberg - Wout van Aert crashing and Mathieu van der Poel attacking - Wellens soon realised victory would perhaps be a stretch too far for him. "Everyone did what they could. We tried to come back, but it was immediately clear that it was a battle for second and third place," he explains. "Although it was still strong for Jasper Stuyven to ride across to Wout.”

In the end, it was Stuyven who took second with van Aert completing the podium before Wellens came home in fourth. “The feeling was good. This bodes well for things to come. It's always nice to reach finals and take a place of honour, so I'm very happy with it,” Wellens concludes.

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Double top-10 at the #E3SaxoClassic 🇧🇪 in Harelbeke. 4th @Tim_Wellens 7th @PolittNils Good job boys👏. #WeAreUAE #UAETeamEmirates

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"It was immediately clear that it was a battle for second and third" - Tim Wellens narrowly misses podium at E3 Saxo Classic

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