Wout van Aert ended his 2016 season well with the victory at the Sylvestercross in Bredene. Laurens Sweeck was second and Gianni Vermeersch completed the podium. It is the thirteenth victory of the season for Van Aert.
Van Aert: I knew it was going to be difficult
Winner Wout Van Aert was obviously pleased with his victory.
"I had the feeling that it was going to be difficult. I wanted to use the first half of the race to find out how the wind was. However, I made a mistake and so I made it hard for myself. I was glad when Sweeck accelerated. Then I had to push to get in the lead. In the sprint I already accelerated to put Laurens under pressure. The sprint went well. I'm glad I finally got a Vespa (the prize for the winner, ed.)," he laughed.
It was the last race for his current team.
"It means something to me because I got a lot of opportunities here. I want to thank everyone.”
Sweeck: Van Aert had something extra in the sprint
Sweeck did a hell of a race, but he came up short in the sprint.
"I thought that I still could go on after the turn, but when I took the corner, I felt that Wout just had something extra. Here and there I could make a difference, but in the sections that required strength, Van Aert came back."
Sweeck had to chase in the first part of the race.
"I got a bad start and it took a lot of time before I could join the leaders. I have the feeling that I can go into the championships with the right level.”
Stybar: I knew it was too fast for me
Zdenek Stybar finished tenth after a smart race.
"I knew it was too fast for me. I enjoyed it greatly and wanted to focus on the end. I received a lot of support from the fans, it was really incredible. I want to thank everyone.”
Rodney SANTIAGO 36 years | today |
Andre ROOS 22 years | today |
Jorge CASTEL 36 years | today |
Mattias RECK 54 years | today |
Petr VACHEK 37 years | today |
© CyclingQuotes.com