Van Aert: It'd be stupid if I said it was easy

E3 Saxo Bank Classic 2022 65th Edition Harelbeke Harelbeke 2039 km 25032022 Wout Van Aert BEL Team Jumbo Visma Christophe Laporte FRA Team Jumbo Visma photo Luca BettiniSprintCyclingAgency2022
Wout van Aert and Christophe Laporte on their way to a 1-2 win for Jumbo-Visma at E3 Saxo Bank Classic (Image credit: Sprint Cycling Agency)

Wout van Aert whipped out the old cliché in his press conference as winner of E3 Saxo Bank Classic. "It never gets easier," he said. "You just go faster."

In Friday’s Tour of Flanders warm-up act, he went far faster than anyone else. In fact, the only rider capable of following him in the final 40km was his own teammate Christophe Laporte, and the only reason he survived was because Van Aert decided to wait for him. 

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Patrick Fletcher

Patrick is a freelance sports writer and editor. He’s an NCTJ-accredited journalist with a bachelor’s degree in modern languages (French and Spanish). Patrick worked full-time at Cyclingnews for eight years between 2015 and 2023, latterly as Deputy Editor.