Even though there were 1.800 kilometers between them, Jonas Vingegaard and Wout Van Aert gave a complete meaning to Sunday and more generally to the weekend of the Visma-Lease a Bike. After yesterday's hat-trick, with Vingegaard in Spain plus Tratnik and Marianne Vos at Het Nieuwsblad, today was the turn again of the Dane and the Belgian giant who triumphed in the Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne. And if yesterday behind Tratnink it was finished Nils Politt, this time it was Tim Wellens' turn, also from the UAE Team Emirates.
Vingegaard said that having already lost Roglic, Van Aert will be missed at the TourThere is no doubt that this belief is even more deeply rooted today.
Unexpected selection
Van Aert he had never run the Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, which seems surreal when speaking about a Belgian rider. Yesterday's podium had gratified him due to the victory of his teammate Tratnik, but certainly having done all the preparation aimed at the classics, He was a little annoyed not to win the opening.
"It's a very nice victory," Van Aert said in a quick interview in the mixed zone. "It's really nice, because it was a tough race. With Wellens and Lazkano I had two good companions in adventure And thanks to the favorable wind, I knew that the strongest would be cut off once the wall area was over. I didn't even need to turn around, I felt the group behind me starting to tear apart, but we remained much less than I expected."
Roads and Sanremo, au revoir
The Belgian will now leave for a retirement at altitude and will only return to the group at the E3 Saxo Classic in Harelbeke, thus skipping the Strade Bianche and also the Sanremo. The feeling that Flanders and Roubaix are turning into an obsession it makes its way.
«I knew it was possible to control the ending – explained Van Aert – and when Laurence Pithie (Groupama-Fdj rider, ed.) dropped away, after having played it smart by not pushing, I thought it was better to go away as a three-man team. It would have been more difficult for just two of them to surprise me, so I decided to goI rode very carefully in the last few kilometers and had a lot of confidence in my sprint. It was a great way to open the Classics season and obviously gives me a lot of confidence. It was my first attempt at Kuurne and I hit the mark straight away.This race is obviously very different from the Classics to come. Now is the time to add the little that's missing and win a Monument."
Vingegaard's trio
This morning, as he set off from the town of Ponteaeras, Vingegaard seemed relaxed. He was heading into the final stage with a good lead, given that the two numbers from yesterday and Friday had practically secured the final victory. Only time could put a spoke in the wheelsAnd in fact the stage, which was supposed to end at Monte Aloia, was shortened due to adverse weather conditions.
The final climb should have been done twice, but The organization decided to change immediately. And in the end, Vingegaard won again.. Only before rejoicing he had to deal with lenny martinez, a champion puppy who really pushes hard.
“I’m very satisfied with the past week,” Vingegaard said. “Everyone did a fantastic job. With three stage victories and the overall standings we can talk about an almost perfect O Gran CaminoThe only less positive thing was the weather. It's a real shame to have to finish in these difficult weather conditions."
Unlike his Belgian teammate, Vingegaard will now head for Italy. His stage race program between now and the Tour includes the Tirreno-Adriatico, the Tour of the Basque Country and the Dauphiné.
