Today Sven Nys participated in his own Grand Prix in Baal for the last time in his career. He had to settle for second place. "Wout van Aert is beyond category on this type of course," he said.

Sporza journalist Renaat Schotte wanted whether it was his best second place. "When it comes to the experience, of course. It's great to get so much encouragement in your own village. Second behind Van Aert also feels like a victory.

"Ultimately, I end in the right place. I've never really looked at first place. I did my own race and tried to do something in the end."

Just when Nys was about to catch another group, he crashed. "I leaned against the barrier for a long time because I lost my balance. When I looked down, I saw that my shorts were almost completely gone.

"But you are in a race and wants to continue. I had to use two laps to find my rhythm. That was unfortunate because I felt I was moving up. Then I tried to hit the front again. I think I deserve second place because I have made the race."

Unlike his rivals, Nys didn't swap bike in the final lap. Was that a deliberate choice for the sprint? "I did not want to change it, it will always cost you seconds. There you have to turn on the gas to hit the climb in first position. Whoever changes there makes a tactical mistake."

The Belgian Championship will be held next week. How does Nys see that race? "The Belgian title is currently very far away when you see how strong Van Aert is. But this year I feel that I have recovered better after all these races than last year. I also know it is not easy to win against such a rider. I'm not broken, but when you see how easy Wout wins, there can only be one favorite. Chapeau because he was very impressive."

The many supporters on the Balenberg were primarily there to support Sven Nys. "I will meet those people in the supporters tent. I do that every year. And then I'm going to eat pancakes with a friend who lives a little further down the street. That's a tradition."