Wout van Aert has won the E3 Saxo Classic for the second year in a row. The Belgian beat Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogacar in a sprint to the line in Harelbeke, after the three had been leading together for some time. It is the first season victory for Van Aert.
At the start of the last ten kilometers, the trio had more than a minute ahead of the first pursuers. A sprint turned out to be inevitable. Van Aert was the first to start his sprint in the last hundreds of meters, immediately made a hole and then did not stop. Visible relief and pure joy accompanied the Belgian after crossing the finish line.
“The E3 Saxo Classic is one of the biggest races of the spring. If you can win it for the second time in a row, it’s a wonderful feeling”, Van Aert stammers visibly delighted just after the finish. “To be honest, the way is particularly special to me. It was an intense fight, a fight that gives this victory extra cachet for me. I can be truly proud of myself and of the team. It is wonderful to race at this level against such strong guys. Maybe I wasn’t the best in the race along the way, but that doesn’t detract from this victory for me. Fortunately, the prizes are only distributed at the finish line.”
Van Aert also praises the work of his entire team. “The men have done an excellent job, so that I can finally grab the victory. With the retirement of Tiesj Benoot, Edoardo Affini and Dylan van Baarle, we were a bit in the corner at that moment where the blows fell, but we anticipated the situation very well. It is once again admirable that Nathan plays a major role in the race until deep into the final. He was a crucial factor for me, so that I could save my strength at certain moments in the race. It gives me a lot of confidence that I can finish it this way. This gives a lot of extra power and energy for the upcoming races”, Van Aert smiles.
