Wout van Aert’s string of bad luck continued at Milan-San Remo, with the Belgian getting caught up in a crash behind world champion Tadej Pogacar. That didn’t stop either rider from making it to the podium at the Italian Monument, but the two riders had very different roads to the finish line.
While Pogacar was up quite quickly and chasing back to the front, Wout had to wait for a bike change before he, and his teammates, could get back into the race.
“First with the crash, and then it took quite a while before I could continue on a new bike,” van Aert said, “I had a lot of bad luck.”
“The way the guys reacted… they stayed with me and brought me back,” van Aert added “The only thing I could do was go for the best possible result. It tastes sweeter when you finish on the podium than just off it.”
Photo: Sirotti
“I saw him on the ground. The next time I saw him was on the podium.”
Van Aert knew that Pogcar was in the crash as well.
“I saw him on the ground next to me after the crash, and the next time I saw him was on the podium,” van Aert shared, reports Wielerflits, with a bit of awe. “I have no idea what he achieved, but it must have been impressive. It was a pretty hard crash. The fact that he still managed to come to the front is impressive.”
Van Aert admitted that the crash stayed on his mind for the rst of the race.
“It wasn’t until the last two or three kilometers that I realized I was still in contention for the podium,” van Aert shared. In that context, “Third place felt like more an achievement than a near miss.”
An achievement, but not a win.
““It never feels like winning when you finish third.”
Even if it is the world champion, and potentially the greatest cyclist of all time, that you lose to.
“It is always special to stand next to him,” Van Aert said of Pogacar, “Especially with his special jersey.”