Wout van Aert describes his CX Dublin victory - "I had to fight, really fight my way into the race"

In the CX Dublin World Cup, Wout van Aert emerged victorious. He created a considerable gap just before the final lap and crossed the finish line to celebrate his first victory.

“This is pure cyclocross,” Van Aert said in the post-race interview. He continues, “It’s been a pleasure to meet the Irish fans, and it was a really exciting course that changed throughout the day. There was a huge crowd, and so I’m really proud to be here. Now I can say I’ve never lost a bike race in Ireland.”

It wasn't the best start for him, as he crashed just before the second lap began. It took him until the third lap to catch up with the front group. "It was a really hard race for me, especially mentally. I had to fight, really fight my way into the race. In the start, I was missing a little bit and was always a bit too far in the position. At the time I began to feel better, I had this mechanical. It was a long race, but in the end, the course was so tough I could still make a difference,” concluded the Dutchman.