Early in the race, the tempo was high. Van Aert and world time trial champion Tobias Foss were in a select group of favourites. At 75 kilometres from the finish, it was Pascal Eenkhoorn's turn. "I jumped in at the right moment. A little later, we got ahead with a nice quartet of riders", the Dutchman said.

"It's fantastic for my confidence that I was able to ride the final here", continued Eenkhoorn. The Team Jumbo-Visma rider seemed to be in contention for the medals for a long time. "Unfortunately, I simply couldn't follow on the final climb. I returned in the last kilometre and tried to pass right away."

Van Aert and Laporte moved back up to a medal position when Eenkhoorn's group stalled. Laporte won the sprint for silver but was unsure about the outcome. "I didn't know in what position I crossed the line. I'm happy with the silver. We came for the rainbow jersey, but we can be satisfied. We were unsure of the specifics of the course situation. With one lap remaining, we could have been able to take action if we had known this sooner ", Laporte said.

Van Aert was labeled a top favourite beforehand and ended up finishing fourth. The Belgian witnessed his compatriot Remco Evenepoel grab the world title. "We rode an excellent race. In the end, having fellow countrymen up front was a good thing. If there is different racing in our group, I can get to the final in an excellent position. I think many other riders also adjusted the course to me. Maybe that also gave Remco just a little bit more space. I'm glad I was able to fulfil that role. In the end, the strongest has won here", Van Aert concluded.