There was no battle between Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert in Loenhout as both stars were pretty quiet. The world champion was seventh, Van Aert third. 

"I had too much bad luck in the first part of the race," Van Aert told Het Nieuwsblad. Van Aert crashed in the first lap and dropped back to 23rd position. "My bike was broken and I had to chase immediately," he explained. "Then I broke another wheel. A little too much bad luck."

When Mathieu van der Poel attacked just before the start of the third lap, it was Van Aert who had to bridge the gap. "That again cost some energy. Tom Meeusen then chose the right moment to attack. In the last laps, it was clear that we rode for second place behind Tom."

Van Aert allowed his teammate Tim Merlier to take second. "I did the lead-out in the sprint and we were eventually second and third. I am glad that our plan was successful." Asked whether Merlier deserves a spot in the selection for the Worlds, Van Aert had a clear response. "I would love to have him as support," said Van Aert. "He deserves a spot in the selection from a sporting perspective but it is up to the coach to decide."