Wout van Aert frustrated after 'missed opportunity': "I reacted too quickly to that attack"

Wout van Aert was in good shape on Thursday in Tirreno-Adriatico, but was too eager to react when Filippo Ganna launched an attack 500 meters from the finish. The Belgian ended up fifth and spoke afterwards of a missed opportunity.

"Now what stands out most is the missed chance," the Belgian told Sporza. "It’s always difficult to sprint in a small group. I reacted too quickly to that late move. By then, I had already started my sprint. Mathieu van der Poel also launched his effort from far out. Nobody could follow his wheel behind him. He was the strongest. You have to be able to admit that."

Still, Van Aert can be somewhat satisfied with his stage. He was also able to test himself well with the Classics in mind. "On the short, steep climbs it was a countdown. For me, it was briefly pushing beyond the limit. I know it's necessary to drop the fastest guys, but riders like Mathieu and Ganna were still there. They are hard to beat."

"We rode a super strong race. Kielich was very attentive up front. He plays a crucial role in positioning us well on the climb. When you have someone like Jorgenson to thin out the group, you know not many can follow. It's a shame we couldn't finish it off, but it was a good day overall."