'The sport is as hard as it always has been' - Wout van Aert's hope of a podium dashed by flat tyre in Antwerp

Wout Van Aert saw his podium hopes dashed by a front wheel puncture, as his return to cyclocross ended with a seventh-place finish.

The three-time world cyclocross champion made his return to the sport at the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup round at Antwerp.

Van Aert had no answer to rival Mathieu Van der Poel (Alpecin–Deceuninck), who rode away from his competitors on the second lap to victory.

The Belgian worked his way through the chasing group and at the midway point sat in third and just eight seconds behind runner-up Laurens Sweeck.

Disaster then struck for the Visma-Lease a Bike rider as a front tyre puncture dropped him down to ninth position and 26 seconds behind Sweeck.

A valiant fight back by Van Aert saw him post quicker lap times than all his rivals and eight seconds off the podium heading into the last lap.

However, the Belgian could not reach Crelan-Corendon teammates Sweeck and Emiel Verstrynge, who finished second and third, respectively.

Meanwhile, Van Aert eased off the pressure in the final sections, allowing the chasing group to compete for the remaining placings and coming home seventh.

“The sport is as hard as it always has been,” said Van Aert afterwards. “I suffered from the first minute, I was in the mix for the podium before a flat tyre ruined that result. Overall, a good feeling.

“Straight after the first pit zone, there were a few tricky sections to puncture. One moment of not concentrating enough, I hit the front wheel and immediately knew it was flat."

As last season Van Aert entered the cyclocross field for the lucrative Kerstperiode over Christmas, consisting of 12 races in 15 days. He is due to race eight times during the festive period before concluding his campaign at the Belgian national championships on January 11.

During this period, he will face rival Van der Poel on five occasions – their next meeting at Hofstade on Monday (December 22).

Last year Van Aert returned to the ‘cross field following his horrific crash at the Vuelta a Espana. He went on to win two cyclocross races in last year’s campaign but was beaten by Van der Poel on each of their four meetings.

However, Van Aert feels that he is in better condition than 12 months ago.

Reflecting on his ride through from a poor gridding to podium contention, the Belgian said: “The start itself went well, but then I seriously stepped on my breath to make that effort forward.

“I tried to stick to the front group for as long as possible. At some point Laurens (Sweeck) and Mathieu (Van der Poel) went.”

However, the response to his mid-race puncture has given Van Aert encouragement ahead of a busy three weeks.

He added: “It was then (last year) from much further I had to come and much less pleasant, now it was to give up in a good way.”

Ahead of his first cyclocross outing of the campaign, Van Aert expanded on his feeling compared to 12 months ago in a video released by Team Visma | Lease a Bike.

He added that family trips to Disneyland, Italy and Los Angeles have meant that he is mentally ‘hungry’ for the ‘cross season.

“Then (last year) at the end of November, I was still working on my rehabilitation after my crash in the Vuelta and I carefully started training. Especially mentally my winter was a lot better this year. I was able to relax much more.

"Last year, I made the mistake of not taking a decent holiday. I just wanted to return as soon as possible after my injury. I felt a constant pressure, because you're fighting a battle with time.

“This winter there wasn’t too much pressure, actually, since the Tour. Such a long break was something I really needed. I already feel hungry, that's a good sign."