'It simply came down to legs' - Van Aert on the decisive Oude Kwaremont showdown

When the first key selection went on the slopes of the Molenberg, Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike) had to battle his way through the pack to make the split, having been positioned further back on the run-in to the climb. 

The Belgian admitted at the finish that he didn’t expect the race to open up on the climb with 103km remaining, hence his positioning.

“To be honest, I was a bit surprised that the finale was already opened on the Molenberg,” Van Aert explained to Eurosport. “I was a bit too far back.”

However, thanks to the work of his own teammates as well as his own strength, Van Aert was able to make the key selection of 17 riders, which also included his teammate Christophe Laporte.

“I have to thank my teammates for dropping me off in a good position at the foot. That was already a crucial moment,” said Van Aert. “It wasn't a bad situation afterwards, because I had Christophe [Laporte] with me. For us, there was no reason to pedal hard.”

The selective group would catch the breakaway ahead of the second ascent of the Oude Kwaremont, where the race was likely to open up once more. Van Aert was in the prime position on the wheel of Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) as the World Champion opened up his engine. 

“I arrived at the second ascent of the Oude Kwaremont exactly as I wanted. As I had predicted, it simply came down to legs there.”

Initially, the duo were joined by Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech), Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) and Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), but towards the crest of the climb, Van Aert and Pedersen found themselves distanced. 

The duo would form an alliance and aimed to hunt down the final virtual podium position occupied by the debutant Evenepoel, who was in no man’s land between the front duo and Van Aert and Pedersen.

“We could only catch up if they started looking at each other at the front, but you have to keep believing. I have to thank Mads for a great ride. We worked well together,” said Van Aert.

“There was no chance of a comeback, but we did what we could. I think it was an incredible final. Everyone crossed the finish line one by one.”

In the end, Van Aert was able to dispatch of his companion Pedersen in the finale, and solo his way to 4th place, the same position he occupied twelve months ago, 2:04 behind the winner, Pogačar. It was a result and performance that Van Aert was satisfied with, even if he had hoped for more.

“I am certainly happy with my performance. I might have hoped for something more, but this was the best I could achieve today,” said Van Aert, who will now turn his attention to Paris-Roubaix next weekend.