Van Aert fifth in Deutschland Tour prologue
Wout van Aert finished fifth in the prologue of the Deutschland Tour. The Belgian rider of Team Visma | Lease a Bike completed the ultra-short test in Essen just a fraction slower than winner Søren Wærenskjold. Matthew Brennan conceded eight seconds but remains well placed near the top of the standings.
On the 3.1-kilometre course in Essen, Van Aert started late in the day. By then, Norwegian rider Wærenskjold had already set a sharp benchmark time. For a moment it looked like Van Aert, who finished tenth in the ADAC Cyclassics on Sunday, was on pace for the fastest time, but in the end he came two seconds short.
“It’s a result I can live with”, Van Aert said afterwards. “It was short but tough. The course was extremely fast, where details made all the difference. I think I rode a solid prologue, but I never had the feeling along the way that I was on track for the fastest time.”
"The next few days will be very interesting"
“The next few days will be very interesting. There are some great opportunities ahead. Not only for myself, but certainly also for Matthew. He’s riding very strongly this year and I’m looking forward to chasing results together with him”, Van Aert concluded.
Lidl Deutschland Tour
Stage 0
Result
1
Søren Wærenskjold
Uno-X Mobility
00:03:31
2
Samuel Watson
INEOS Grenadiers
+00:00:01
3
Marco Haller
Tudor Pro Cycling Team
+00:00:02
5
Wout van Aert
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:00:03
32
Matthew Brennan
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:00:09
40
Matisse Van Kerckhove
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:00:10
50
Niklas Behrens
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:00:12
93
Tijmen Graat
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:00:17
95
Steven Kruijswijk
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:00:19
Rankings
1
Søren Wærenskjold
Uno-X Mobility
00:03:31
2
Samuel Watson
INEOS Grenadiers
+00:00:01
3
Marco Haller
Tudor Pro Cycling Team
+00:00:02
5
Wout van Aert
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:00:03
32
Matthew Brennan
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:00:09
40
Matisse Van Kerckhove
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:00:10
50
Niklas Behrens
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:00:12
93
Tijmen Graat
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:00:17
95
Steven Kruijswijk
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:00:19
