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.”