“Angry is not the right word" - Wout van Aert denies Pim Ronhaar's claims of conflict following crash at Hulst World Cup

On an incredibly dramatic day in Hulst, Wout van Aert battled back from a a crash to finish a creditable fifth.

Post-race, Pim Ronhaar claimed that van Aert had blamed him for the incident. “I just spoke to him after the finish and he wasn't very happy. I understand that of course, but I think he would have done the same to me," said the Baloise - Trek Lions rider of the crash in his interview after the fact.

Speaking to Het Nieuwsblad, van Aert has now denied he was angry at Ronhaar. “What did I think of the incident? Let's just say I was a little too nervous myself. I felt I was riding well and on this course you could lose a lot of time if you weren't in a good position. So I wanted to move up as quickly as possible," he recalls. “I also decided to get involved in the debates about positions. And I lost."

On Ronhaar's claims that van Aert would have done the exact same in if the situation was reversed, the former world champion isn't so sure. "He did not go out of the way. I don't know if I would have done it that way before. But in the end it became shoulder to shoulder and I ended up in the dirt,” explains the Belgian. “Angry is not the right word, but I felt that I was riding well. Then the competitive spirit surfaces again and you hope to do better than a fifth place. I think disappointed better expresses what I feel.”