"It's always lame to make excuses" - No regrets for Wout van Aert after taking bronze medal at European Championships
Cycling
Wout van Aert was somewhat disappointed to only take home a bronze medal from the European Championships individual time-trial but in his post-race interview refused to make any excuses.
"It's always lame to make excuses. I knew how fast I had to ride,” said the Belgian, refusing to blame the fact that he has been struggling with illness recently and the fact Nathan Van Hooydonck had been very much on his mind. “Everything was close together at the first intermediate point. I started as I should, but it was not possible to continue."
In the end it was 19-year-old Welsh sensation Joshua Tarling who took the win in dominant fashion by over 40 seconds with last year's winner Stefan Bissegger in second and van Aert in third. “The legs decided in the last part, Joshua and Stefan were better there,” explains van Aert. “I'm happy that I feel healthy again. Normally that last part is my strongest part, but that wasn't this time. That also says something."
“I still have a few days left," he concludes, casting an eye towards the finale of his season. "I felt good in the Tour of Britain and the motivation is certainly still there. We also drive with a strong team, so there is plenty of reason to believe in it.”
Read also
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
claps 1visitors 1
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Pidcock finished 9th place, 29 minutes down. he is a helluva rider, so gutsy. and he is amazing at all disciplines. but this headline is . . .mij09-11-2026
- I know, watch the video. and listen to her competitors. it was a tricky tacky call at best. WTF is this guy talking about??? my original comment was from the picture it didn't look like anything.mij09-11-2026
- I dunno what you're talking about. you make no sense. MS's competitor and the competitors coach said it was BS. she didn't deviate in a way that relegation should be required. revel LOL. you're so cool, in your own mind.mij09-11-2026
- deviation lol, watch the videomij09-11-2026
- the 'No different than women who follow and discuss celebs through gossip magazines' comment was unfortunately a bit off. didn't you just boast about your principles in the comments section of another article?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- Are you MrMauMau 2.0? Nothing you are saying is really relevant. Vaguely connected, but irrelevant. The conversation is whether Schreiber impeded Brand or not.
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...Dariusz08-11-2026
- Yeah, unreal.
parisbound0008-11-2026
Loading
🇪🇺 #Drenthe2023 Satisfied with bronze! 😊
Write a comment