Wout van Aert faced disappointment again at Dwars door Vlaanderen, finishing second after a tactical error during the sprint against Neilson Powless. The team initially excelled in getting key riders to the front, but Van Aert's decision to sprint prematurely proved costly. He blamed himself for not executing the team's plan effectively, feeling responsible for the outcome. Reflecting on the race, he acknowledged his excessive desire to win led to his misstep, marking a tough continuation of struggles following a previous injury from the same race.
"I'm just extremely disappointed. I feel responsible for this result and responsible for not finishing off the work of the team," said Van Aert bluntly post-race, with disappointment etched all over his face.
"In a front group of four with three guys on the team, you've always made a mistake if you do not win the race."
"It's quite simple, I wanted this victory really bad. It was me making the decision quite early on that I wanted to sprint, and I just wanted Tiesj and Matteo to control the break early on and bring me to the line with Neilson," explained the Belgian.
"I was just too selfish and afraid I would come into a situation where I would not be able to go for the first place, and that's a big mistake.
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