Paris-Roubaix contender Wout van Aert says he’s still ‘suffering’ from Flanders crash – ‘I could be better’

Van Aert is expected to face off with rival Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) at the hotly anticipated 120th edition of the ‘Hell of the North’ Monument in northern France.

But he told reporters that he’s still not feeling at his best.

“I’m suffering a little bit from my knee and ribs after the crash in Flanders, a bit more than I initially thought on Sunday,” Van Aert said. “Until now I’ve not really had a great feeling on the bike in the last few days.

“I did two decent trainings yesterday and today and I hope I can recover a bit more before Sunday and find my legs again. I could be better.”

The cobble-strewn course of northern France provides a demanding challenge for any rider, but Van Aert’s comments were in stark contrast to his rival Van der Poel.

“I just accept what happened. I got dropped by two riders who were just stronger last Sunday and that’s definitely not a shame,” said Van Aert. “I believe I’m still in the best form possible for the season. I hoped for more, that I could follow them. But that wasn’t the case.

“Quite fast after the race I changed my disappointment into accepting it. There’s no way around it.

“Unfortunately, in Flanders, we didn’t come out in the way how we did the other Classics. We’re really eager to show ourselves again and to race with multiple guys in the final again.”

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