Van Aert Reveals the Perfect Trap That Caught His Rivals

Wout van Aert did not leave his winning move to chance. He had identified the final short climb before the finish as the place to attack, then struck 3.8 kilometers from the line as rivals began thinking about a sprint.

Visma-Lease a Bike spent hours setting up the move. More than 40 riders made it into the breakaway, including Van Aert, Matthew Brennan and Bruno Armirail. When the group split, Brennan stayed ahead while Van Aert and Armirail could save energy in the chasing group because their teammate was already up the road.

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The plan was to get into the breakaway. We knew this stage would be very difficult to control.

“​​The plan was to get into the breakaway. We knew this stage would be very difficult to control,” Van Aert said after the finish. He later explained that he and Armirail could remain sheltered for much of the day before joining the leaders on the final climb.

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I had it somewhat in mind. I looked at the profile and knew there was this last short climb before we reached the town.

Van Aert then attacked on the section he had marked before the start. “I had it somewhat in mind. I looked at the profile and knew there was this last short climb before we reached the town,” he said. “At that distance from the finish, many riders already start thinking about the sprint. If you can create a gap, rivals often do not want to close it for one another.”

Valentin Paret-Peintre was the only rider to bridge across. The Frenchman helped set the pace before trying to surprise Van Aert with a sprint in the final 300 meters, but the Belgian had enough strength to respond. Brennan completed the team’s success in third place. “The fact that I could do this work for him today is almost a better feeling than winning. Wout does a huge amount for me too,” he said.

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The fact that I could do this work for him today is almost a better feeling than winning. Wout does a huge amount for me too.