Wout van Aert second at GP Sven Nys but not before attacking van der Poel: "I had hoped to make it a little more difficult for Mathieu"

Wout van Aert did not match Mathieu van der Poel at the GP Sven Nys, but once again he tried to do so. With a new tactic this Monday, the Belgian attempted to be the one attacking this time around, however it didn't have the hoped result.

“I had hoped to make it a little more difficult for Mathieu. That worked well in the beginning,” Van Aert said in a post-race interview. “But I know what I'm doing, so I can post this. It was surprising that I finished so far behind Mathieu. He was super strong today. All I could do was give my best on this tough course. I really suffered, but second was the highest possible.”

New day, new attempt, but still no-one seems able to be anywhere close to the Dutchman. Now van Aert focuses on Koksijde which could be the final big opportunity for the Team Visma | Lease a Bike rider to beat his rival.

"Anyway. After that I will have a weekend of rest, which I am looking forward to as well. I've worked quite hard in recent weeks, with all those crosses. It was very intensive. Hopefully I can still ride a nice cross in Koksijde, I always like to go there. I'm looking forward to that," he concludes.