After winning in Gullegem and Dendermonde, Van Aert was at the start of the World Cup in Benidorm with ambitions. The Belgian, who just finished a training camp, had a difficult start and was immediately forced to chase. Halfway through the race, Van Aert returned to the front group, but fresh legs were out of the question by then.

In the last lap Van Aert held on for a long time, but after an attack by Nys, the resistance was broken. The winner of the previous edition eventually had to settle for fourth place. "It was a super fast race. I didn't feel very fresh and was on the limit pretty quickly from the start. It took far too long for me to connect with the leading group. That's never a good sign", Van Aert said. 

"Halfway through the race I could already feel the fatigue setting in. It was fighting from corner to corner all the time and there were few spots on the course where you could move up. On the last lap, I gambled on one acceleration, but when Thibau went for it, I couldn't follow. Chapeau to him. He was exceptionally strong."

Van Aert hopes for better legs next week in Maasmechelen. "I certainly wasn't bad today, but unfortunately I didn't have the legs to make the difference. I suspect I'll be a lot fresher next week", he concludes.