Tough virtual edition of Tour of Flanders for Van Aert and Teunissen
The Tour of Flanders: Lockdown Edition turned out to be a true wear and tear. On the intended day of ‘Vlaanderens Mooiste’, thirteen riders competed for the victory from their home on their Tacx. After about an hour of racing, Olympic champion Greg van Avermaet won the race. Wout van Aert finished eighth, Mike Teunissen ninth.
“I suffered very much. It was really tough”, Van Aert said. “I think I had to pay for the other boys having a bit more experience in competing in E-races than me. I got already dropped from the start and I tried to ride my own pace as much as possible. By not being in the front of the race from the start you lose a lot of strength, because being in someone’s wheel also has its advantages here. Halfway through the race I refound my legs and energy a bit and I caught up with some of the riders in front. It was a lot of fun to do and certainly a pleasant experience.”
Teunissen concurred with his teammate’s explanation. “It is a very nice initiative and certainly a nice addition. As presumed, it was a a very tough race. In here it is mainly a matter of delivering a lot of power and pedaling high wattages. That is something that doesn’t suit me too well compared to the pure specialists. In any case, it was a nice change for us.”
