The death of Gino Mäder cast a pall over the race in the final stages.

"I’ve had mixed emotions over the last few days”, Kelderman said. "Because of all the events, you don't feel like going deep. You don't have your mind on it."

After the time trial in Abtwil, the classification rider took stock of a week's racing. "I can be happy with my condition and my performance. Even in today's time trial, I felt good. I was able to find a good rhythm and keep my pace. There are still some points to improve, but I have to say that I am starting to ride better and better”, Kelderman said. "I managed to get a good classification, which was the goal. I was able to compete every day, and towards the end, I even improved a little. As a result, I'm going into the Tour de France with a lot of confidence.”

He will also have Van Aert at his side. "I think I am on the same level, but I can still improve here and there. I could also do my thing in the mountain stages to help Wilco. I don't think I'm at my best yet. With some rest in the next two weeks, I hope to get a bit better. That's why I needed this race incentive”, Van Aert said.

The Belgian was moderately pleased with his race against the clock: "The climbs were challenging. I didn't get through the last part of the climb how I wanted. I was hoping for better. The feeling was okay, but in terms of the result, it could have been a bit better. It was a good time trial, but during the race, I felt that it would not be enough to win.”

The Belgian also reflected on a week full of emotion and sadness. "The last days were difficult. The atmosphere was a bit different, and concentrating wasn't easy. It's nice to be able to go home for a while because you can't keep a positive feeling from this race with all these terrible events. After some rest, I will concentrate on the Belgian championships.”

"Everything is relative after the terrible events”, sports director Marc Reef said. "We put everything in a different light, and everything becomes very relative. So we can be happy with Wilco's fourth place. He has had a long rehabilitation period and has worked hard. It's a boost for him but also for us as a team. Nevertheless, it's good that we can finish this race now. I think we all want to go home to our families.”