"Wout did say that he would share that premium with us" - The reason behind van Aert's Tiegemberg attack and talks afterwards

The E3 Saxo Classic was decided in a three-man sprint yesterday between Wout van Aert, Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogacar. Race winner van Aert has revealed the reason behind his acceleration at the Tiegemberg and the conversation the group had afterwards.

As it turned out, there was a €3300 prize at the top of what was the final ascent of the day. "I quickly took it with me. My teammates will be happy," he said in a recent interview. "I knew that only Belgians and Dutchmen were eligible.  Of course I did not inform Tadej and Mathieu, because then we might have really sprinted for it. I thought 'I'll take everything today'". 

The trio managed to separate themselves from the rest of the field and go on to fight for the race win, collaborating well until the final kilometers. Right after van Aert's move the trio were seen talking to each other, and van der Poel shared: "We were not informed. But Wout did say that he would share that premium with us," the Dutchman joked.