"Taking a maximum of risks and an excessive desire to win" cost Wout van Aert win at Paris-Roubaix according to Philippe Gilbert

Wout van Aert was on the podium of Paris-Roubaix but was one of the most disappointed riders of the day.

His third spot was not what he seeked, and it was mostly due to a late puncture at Carrefour de l'Arbre as he attacked the race. A mechanical at the worst time possible, Philippe Gilbert believes it was van Aert's ambition that took him out of the race.

The 2019 race winner, who followed the race on the motorbike of Eurosport, reported after the day: "What I experienced in the Trouée d'Arenberg was almost unbelievable, with all those riders lying on the ground bleeding, including number one Dylan Van Baarle. And then all those others we passed with broken wheels and flat tires. I saw the disappointment on the faces of many of them, because at that moment they knew their game was already over."

The scenes in Arenberg were dramatic as the race split up right before and during the opening five-star sector of the race. Those who had attacked earlier were largely unaffected as they did not have to battle for positioning, but the mechanicals did not stop there. He was near the front at Carrefour de l'Arbre when the race was decided, and he's commented on his compatriot Wout van Aert's puncture which cost him a potential win - one he had eyed throughout the whole spring.

"The mistake was due to taking a maximum of risks and an excessive desire to win. A desire that was not properly controlled," Gilbert said. As van Aert attacked he was then caught by eventual race winner Mathieu van der Poel, and then had to stop to replace his tyre. A quick change, but too costly of a loss at such time of the race, which led the Belgian to be heartbroken after the finish.