Wout van Aert "never felt competing for the win" in CX Gavere

A silver medal was the best Wout van Aert could manage at the Gavere World Cup. It was a tough contest between him and Mathieu van der Poel, but he was not able to beat the Dutchman to the finish line.

"I never felt I was competing for the win," van Aert said in the post-race interview. Despite his best efforts, it wasn't his day in Gavere. "From the start, I was always chasing, I never had the rhythm I wanted."

During the third lap, van der Poel dropped van Aert. Knowing victory was unlikely, he decided to aim for the next best position. He attacked and left Tom Pidcock behind. "I have to be satisfied with second place, it was the highest achievable today," he said.

Nevertheless, Van Aert had a great day and enjoyed himself thoroughly. "It was a great cross day. There were so many people, it was the atmosphere of a World Cup. Although the legs didn't really do what I wanted from the start, I kept fighting for the fans. It was a very nice course,” concluded van Aert.