Disappointed Wout van Aert reacts to World Cup Benidorm defeat: "I didn't feel very fresh"
Cyclocross
The World Cup Benidorm delivered a thrilling race, but it
was Thibau Nys who stole the show with a remarkable victory that silenced his
critics. Meanwhile, Wout van Aert struggled to find his rhythm and had to
settle for fourth place.
Van Aert spoke candidly to Wielerflits after the
race, reflecting on his performance:
"I didn't feel very fresh. It also took a long time to get into the
leading group after a bad start," said Van Aert. "Then I already felt
that it wasn't my day. In the last laps I had to gamble on an acceleration, but
Thibau was faster in the last lap."
The Belgian superstar admitted that his race plan fell apart
as the event unfolded.
“I wanted to save myself in the final, but I had to close a gap on Iserbyt and
Van der Haar in the penultimate lap. After that I didn’t have a clear plan
anymore,” he sighed. “After that I saw Thibau riding away, that was
exceptionally strong. It was a super fast race and I didn’t really feel great.
I never really got into the race.”
Despite his struggles, Van Aert acknowledged the strength of
the competition and praised Nys for his performance:
"I trained hard, but everyone comes here with their own preparation. One
day is different from the other. It certainly wasn't bad, but I didn't have the
legs to make the difference," Van Aert explained. "From the moment I
got to the front I knew I had to keep an eye on him, hats off to him."
Looking ahead, Van Aert remains optimistic about his
upcoming races:
“I expect I will be fresher next week and hope to finish Maasmechelen with a
better feeling.”
Fin MajorCycling Journalist
Fin Major is a UK-based writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2024. He is the site’s main writer for FAQs and evergreen explainers and has written around 2,000 pieces for the platform. Alongside this work, he focuses on in-depth analysis and covers the biggest races on the calendar, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, providing clear context around performance trends, tactics, and key storylines.
In his reporting, Fin uses reputable data sources such as ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. Outside of writing, Fin is an active cyclist, which supports his practical understanding of the sport and its demands.
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- exactly, he had an amazing season, but with these overstatements they don‘t do him good.Ketterechts08-11-2026
- More to the point, it isn't his remaining goal.Renz08-11-2026
- lol yeahmij08-11-2026
- I know, their headlines can be so misleading. Pidcock had a great season with 5 wins. and some solid 2nds. no reason to take away from that with a fake headline.mij08-11-2026
- You can clearly see the the posture change from slightly sitting to again out of the saddle while changing of gears in the video of the sprintabstractengineer08-11-2026
- He has already beaten Pogi twice in the TDF. the achievement is over. He cannot beat Pogi now and he only has a few years left at the top. Win Giro and compete in the TDF, maximise palmares.abstractengineer08-11-2026
- Just looked again at the photo. Yeah I stand by that. If MS had fallen over in Brands direction I don’t even think she would have hit her. You must be a UCI race commissioner. I’ll be sure to check my sock height should I ever see you on a ride. Looks like everyone else on here sees what I see.mij08-11-2026
- I said looking at the photo it doesn’t appear she deviated. Chill out, not stating my word is the final judgement. Just commenting that based on the photo I don’t see it. And BTW the Dutch coach even said she didn’t impede her.mij08-11-2026
- Blah Blah Blah !frieders308-11-2026
- MS said she was changing gears so that caused her slight deviation. Nothing was intentional.frieders308-11-2026
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