Disappointed Wout van Aert reacts to World Cup Benidorm defeat: "I didn't feel very fresh"
CyclocrossMonday, 20 January 2025 at 09:12
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.”
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One way or the other - he did a great job. He started from far position and put a lot of effort to catch a front group, then Vanthourenhout did what he usually do (delayed some riders when Iserbyt was in front) and again WvA needed to catch front group. So in the and 4th place is great. Of course podium would be nice but still WvA is super human.