Wout Van Aert came up short against a strong Lars van der Haar at the European Championships in the Dutch city of Huijbergen. The Belgian was hugely disappointed in himself. "Suddenly I had nothing left," Van Aert said Van Aert.

"I can not have peace with this second place. I'm very disappointed," he said, according to Het Nieuwsblad. "I had everything completely in my own hands, but suddenly I had nothing left. I felt very well and could get a gap to van der Haar. I wanted then continue which I managed to do for one lap. However, I went faster than I could and then the light went out. I cracked completely and Lars came back very quickly. In the last lap, I had another chance, but I made a mistake by not sitting in front through a technical bend. I had to run and then Lars was already gone," Van Aert said.

Van Aert still has eight victories this season. "In this race there was really something to win. If you are not disappointed, you're not a sportsman. I would gladly have exchanged a few of my past victories for this one."