“I should have gone earlier” – Wout van Aert reflects honestly on Zolder sprint defeat

Wout van Aert walked away from Heusden-Zolder disappointed but clear headed after being beaten in a sprint by Tibor Del Grosso, admitting that hesitation in the finale ultimately cost him a first cyclocross win of the season.

Rather than frustration or excuses, the Belgian focused on how fine the margins were after an intense, evenly matched battle. “A finish that close is always frustrating,” Van Aert said. “It was an intense fight and of course I’m disappointed.”

Van Aert explained that he tried repeatedly to force a decision before the sprint, opening the race halfway through and raising the pace again on the selective sections, but Del Grosso refused to crack. “I felt that we were evenly matched,” he admitted.

Everything came down to positioning and timing in the final metres. With a strong headwind on the finishing straight, Van Aert was cautious about committing too early from the front, aware of the risk of dragging his rival along in the slipstream. “In hindsight, maybe I should have dared to go earlier,” he reflected. “But the danger was that I would bring him with me.”

That calculation proved costly, but Van Aert was quick to credit the rider who beat him. “This was sport in its purest form, side by side,” he said. “I absolutely can’t underestimate the opposition. Tibor is a top talent and he showed that he deserves it.”

It was a narrow defeat, but one framed by respect, realism and a clear understanding of where the race was decided.