The race really ignited in the last local lap. On the final climb a number of riders rode away. Van Aert was alert and was able to follow them. “It was a two kilometer climb. That is slightly longer than the average classic climb,” says Van Aert. "I was able to follow Pogacar's first attack well, but when Adam Yates decided to go on I had to give everything to be there."

Van Aert then had to counter a few attacks in the last kilometers. “I was in a group with some real climbers. The fact that I was able to follow them up the climb shows that I am in good shape. I felt fine during the day, partly due to the strong performance of my teammates. In the final phase I had give a lot of my power and maybe that was at the expense of my sprint. I am beaten by a strong rider. Finishing second is certainly not a shame here.”

“I have really enjoyed the past two races", Van Aert adds. “It was a great experience to ride these Canadian races. I hope to return here one day so I can try to win. It was also a good preparation for the World Championships. Today's course was very challenging and perhaps comparable to that in Wollongong in two weeks. I've shown that I'm ready to fight there, but this weekend has also shown that there are a lot of other strong riders who will compete there."