Visma DS "convinced" Wout van Aert could've followed Mathieu van der Poel had it not been for Paterberg crash at E3 Saxo Classic

In the first meeting of Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel this Classics season, it was the Dutchman who took the spoils at the E3 Saxo Classic on Friday afternoon.

Had van Aert not suffered a slip of the front wheel on the wet cobbles of the Paterberg, could things have been different though? For Team Visma | Lease a Bike sports director, Arthur Van Dongen, this question leaves him with a tinge of what could have been.

"It is up to us to show resilience," Van Dongen explains to his team's official website in his post-race recap. "Of course it was a pity, but we have already managed to deal with bad luck situations in the past. We were well represented in the race as a team, but the crashes of Tiesj Benoot and Wout van Aert were crucial."

"I am convinced Wout was able to follow Van der Poel, although he was definitely the rightful winner in the end," Van Dongen continues. "Now we will lick our wounds and review the situation with an eye on the upcoming classics."