Wout Van Aert finished fourth in the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec, confirming he is on form for the rapidly approaching World Championships but admitted that victory escaped Jumbo-Visma’s grip in a split second when Benoit Cosnefroy managed to get away alone with two kilometres to go.
Van Aert lead out the sprint behind him but the Frenchman had already crossed the line and was celebrating his first win of 2022.
“I’m disappointed because the team rode really well and we were always in control. Then you want to finish it off but unfortunately cycling is not like a PlayStation game,” Van Aert told the media, including Cyclingnews, at the race finish.
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Van Aert explained the dramatic final kilometres in detail, as if he was playing a video game. He also revealed where Jumbo-Visma made the mistake that cost him a chance of victory.
“There were only really strong guys there in the finale. But with a sprint like this one, you always have to make a decision where you make your effort and for a guy like me, it makes sense to ride a little bit more defensively. For a guy like Cosnefroy, he has only one chance to make a strong attack and if the others hesitate a little, it’s hard to catch him.
“We hoped to have Christophe Laporte on his wheel instead of ten metres behind, that’s where it went wrong.
“Then I chose to gamble and wait for other teams but in the last kilometre I already knew that Cosnefroy was out of reach. I launch my sprint really to still have a chance to be on the podium but because of that Matthews and Girmay could pass me.”
It was only Van Aert’s third race since his incredible Tour de France but he worked hard during a month away from racing. He finished second at the Hamburg Bemer Cyclassics on August 21, won the Bretagne Classic on August 28 and just missed out on the podium here in Quebec.
“The whole race was hard and fast. It looked controlled but it takes up a lot of energy. But I’m happy with how I felt today and I think my form is there,” he said.
Like everyone who travels to Canada, he has a second chance at victory on Sunday in the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montreal. The 221.4km race covers 18 laps of a circuit around the Parc du Mont-Royal that gives its name to the city. The race has a total elevation gain of 4,842 metres.
“I’ve got another chance on Sunday in Montreal,” Van Aert, keen to travel on to Australia for the World Championships with a victory.
“I think it’s a harder race, so we’ll see how it goes. There’ll probably be more guys like Pogačar and Bardet and Gaudu. The real climbers will come closer to victory there.”
