Wout van Aert acknowledged Remco Evenepoel's superior speed during De Brabantse Pijl, admitting he was unable to match Evenepoel's stamina in the decisive moments of the race. Despite his strong early push alongside teammate Tiesj Benoot, Van Aert found himself outpaced in the final sprint. He had hoped for a more explosive finish but felt the pressure from Evenepoel's consistent pace was overwhelming, leaving him exhausted. This race continued Van Aert's challenge in the cobbled Classics, where he has yet to secure a victory in 2025.
"Of course I had hoped to win and especially in this situation, where we were going to the finish line for a sprint," Van Aert said in the Dutch post-race interview.
"But I had nothing left. Remco slowly killed me in the last hour. It was already hard to hang on in the last lap."
"I felt good and helped break the race open. I was shocked that there was such a split so quickly," Van Aert explained.
"For me it would have been better if there were a few more riders, because it was not easy to ride in Remco's wheel."
Collection
[
|
...
]