Van Aert caught at the line, but ready for Flanders - 'I’m ready. Let it come'
There was no hiding the disappointment. Wout van Aert had the race in his hands, until he didn’t. In the final metres of Dwars door Vlaanderen, Filippo Ganna came from behind and passed him, turning what looked like a certain win into another second place.
For the second year in a row, Van Aert finished runner up. For the second time in four days, he was caught late. And yet, the feeling this time was different.
“I believed I could win until the final corner,” he said afterwards to Sporza. “I never looked back. I only realised it was over when I saw Ganna’s wheel come past me. At that point, I was empty.”
He had forced the race open himself. On the Eikenberg, with about 40 kilometres to go, he accelerated out of the peloton and closed the gap to the leaders in no time. From there, he kept riding. First with a small group, then alone, committing fully to a long effort to the line.
“I had good companions, but I could feel the pace dropping,” he explained. “And I heard on the radio that the pressure from behind was growing. So I decided to go all in.”
Behind him, the race was anything but straightforward. Ganna had already dealt with multiple mechanical issues, including a broken handlebar, and for a long time seemed out of contention. But once the Italian found rhythm again, the chase took on a different tone. Inside the final kilometres, he forced the decisive move, bridged across, and then continued alone.
Van Aert kept riding as if nothing was happening behind him. No hesitation, no glance over the shoulder. The commitment was total, even if the outcome would not be.
“It would have been nicer if the finish had been 150 metres earlier,” he said, half smiling.
The reaction around him suggested something more than sympathy. Riders from across the peloton, including Mads Pedersen, came over to acknowledge the effort.
Van Aert did not hide the disappointment, but neither did he dwell on it. The performance confirmed what he already felt in recent weeks. “I knew I had good legs. That’s why I came here to win. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen.”
The bigger picture now shifts quickly toward Sunday and the Tour of Flanders. Asked whether this is the best version of himself in recent years, Van Aert kept it simple.
“I don’t know. But I’m ready. Let it come.”
Result Dwars door Vlaanderen 2026
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