After just missing the podium at the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) rode to his third fourth place at a Classic this season at Amstel Gold Race, but appeared satisfied with his performance in the Limburg hills.
The Belgian won the small bunch kick 34 seconds behind the leading trio at the opening race of the Ardennes Classics, as Lidl-Trek’s Mattias Skjelmose took a shock victory ahead of Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep).
The result meant that for the first time since 2019, his debut WorldTour season, Van Aert finishes his spring campaign without a win. His highest placings were two runner-up performances at semi Classics Dwars door Vlaanderen and De Brabantse Pijl.
Despite this, the Visma-Lease a Bike rider is satisfied with where he is, having recovered from serious injury following a crash at the Vuelta a España last year. He will now take a short period of rest before building up to race both the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France this season, where he will search for stage wins and support the team’s general classification riders.
"I am very happy with how I have ridden the last few weeks," Van Aert told reporters after the conclusion of Amstel Gold according to WielerFlits.
"A victory is missing, but I am happy with my level. I may put my bike aside for three days, but then I will already be looking ahead to the Giro."
Pogačar made a characteristic early attack in the Limburg hills on Sunday with more than 50 kilometres remaining of the race. He went solo, and looked as though he was following a script read many times before to win the race with ease. However, Skjelmose and Evenepoel later attacked out of the group that Van Aert and teammate Tiesj Benoot were part of. The pair caught the world champion, and the Dane took the biggest win of his career by winning the sprint.
The Visma-Lease a Bike duo hesitated when the chasing moves went. Both reflected afterwards on a tactical error that may have cost them victory at the team’s home race, although Van Aert admitted that he was already struggling with the pace.
"In the Kruisberg, Eyserbosweg and Keutenberg zone I knew it was all about survival. I was on the limit a few times. Maybe that's why I didn't have the overview for a moment and didn't realise that Pogačar wasn't that far ahead of us. I'm a bit disappointed about that, but on the other hand I have to be satisfied," Van Aert said.
"It was a super hard race. The pace in the bunch was super high all day. When the race exploded, half the peloton was already dropped. Dead bodies all over in the final, I would say. I had a good feeling. I had to settle for fourth place, but I did the best race possible and I have to be happy with it," he added.
Teammate Benoot finished in the same group as Van Aert, taking his best-ever result at Amstel Gold with eighth place.
The 31-year-old explained that there was a lack of collaboration in the chase group. With everyone expecting Pogačar to resist the chase as he has done on so many occasions, there was a lack of belief in the group behind.
"Pogačar went on a really hard moment," Benoot told CyclingProNet. "We were with a strong group behind. We had the feeling that no-one could really make the difference, but then on top of the Keutenberg Skjelmose made a strong attack."
"Maybe there we made a little mistake to not react immediately, we were a bit further [back] in the group. Afterwards we just killed each other for the fourth place.
"There was a bit of headwind in the final and a lot of strong riders behind. In our group the co-operation was not super anymore. But Remco and Skjelmose went full to get him back and I think it was nice for people on TV."
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