"Tadej Pogacar was clearly the strongest today" - Tiesj Benoot concedes defeat at Liege-Bastogne-Liege

Concluding a solid Ardennes campaign, Tiesj Benoot narrowly missed out on the top-10 at Liege-Bastogne-Liege this Sunday afternoon.

"In the beginning I didn't feel very well. Eventually I got through and on the Roche-aux-Faucons I was among the better riders," assessed the Team Visma | Lease a Bike leader in a post-race interview with the team's official website. "The final sprint was difficult because I was a bit boxed in. I think I was stronger than twelfth in the race, but that's how it is."

Although he has regrets about that final sprint, Benoot was more than ready to concede that Tadej Pogacar was by far the strongest. "Pogacar was clearly the strongest today and the deserved winner. At the moment of his attack, I chose my pace well, which left me some power for later in the race," the Belgian concludes. "I am happy with the legs I had in the past races. Now I'm taking some rest and I'm actually happy with that."

"We had hoped for another top ten classification in the final part of the classic spring," adds sports director Arthur van Dongen. "Tiesj was good enough for that today. In the end he just didn't make it in the sprint. With the strong headwind, it was a closed race for a long time. In my opinion, Tiesj managed his race well. Unfortunately, he just missed out on a top ten in the finale."

"In the Amstel Gold Race and Flèche Wallonne we rode a good race as a team. Today, partly due to circumstances, we were with too few riders in the final. Perhaps we could have squeezed a little more out of it, but all in all we can be satisfied with the results and the way of racing in the past races. Given all the circumstances, I think it is a realistic reflection," he concludes.