‘It’d have been nicer if the finish was 150 metres earlier’ – Wout van Aert rues heartbreaking near miss in Dwars door Vlaanderen

So near and yet so very far. Wout van Aert’s chances of his first Classics win since 2023 and his first ever in Dwars door Vlaanderen evaporated agonisingly close to the line in Waregem at the hands of Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers).

After strong rides with third place in Milan-San Remo and a real shot at victory alongside fellow breakaway Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) during In Flanders Fields last weekend, Van Aert had done everything right in Dwars door Vlaanderen finally to claim the win.