Wout van Aert 'should be satisfied' with performance in Strade Bianche
Wout van Aert finished just inside the top ten at Strade Bianche. The Belgian was satisfied with that result, especially since it came barely a week after he withdrew from Omloop Het Nieuwsblad due to illness. "It has to be, right," he said to the camera of WielerFlits.
Van Aert took part in the Italian spring classic on Saturday. Although he had to drop out on the Monte Sante Marie climb, he later managed to rejoin the group battling for second place. There, he put in some strong turns at the front for teammate Matteo Jorgensen.
"I rode the race I had in my legs," the Belgian continued. "It was extremely tough today. I’m still missing something, but not much to be in that group behind Pogacar. I’m happy with that."
"Of course I wanted more, but the selection on the Monte Sante Marie was very fair. I still need to take another step. At least we’ve started," he said.
Van Aert also had words for winner Tadej Pogacar. Or rather: "Words fall short. You expect it to some extent, but he does it every time. You realize there’s a battle for second place going on. He just forces that," he concluded.
