It was Van Aert's first appearance at De Brabantse Pijl since 2021. Due to changes in the racing calendar, the Belgian classic was significantly shortened. The peloton set off from Beersel for a 163-kilometer route featuring more than twenty climbs. Early in the race, six riders formed a breakaway, but the group was given little breathing room by the chasing peloton.  

On the first of three ascents of the Moskesstraat, Van Aert launched a powerful acceleration—set up beautifully by teammate Tiesj Benoot. Shortly thereafter, Evenepoel countered, and the gap to the breakaway was quickly closed. Van Aert and Evenepoel kept the pressure on their rivals, with only Joseph Blackmore able to keep up with the two Belgians. Their trio quickly built up a lead of nearly a minute.  

On the final climb of the Hertstraat, Blackmore had to let go. Van Aert and Evenepoel then rode together into the final kilometers. The thrilling race was decided in a sprint, where Van Aert had no answer to Evenepoel’s powerful launch. The Team Visma | Lease a Bike leader had to settle for another podium finish.  

“Of course, I was hoping for more today, but I have to admit that Remco was the strongest rider out there,” Van Aert said afterward. “The situation looked really good, but after such an intense race, I just didn’t have the punch left in my legs for the sprint. In the final hour, Remco really put me under pressure a few times, and I gradually wore down.”  

“The race opened up early. After that first acceleration on the Moskesstraat, the peloton was already heavily thinned out. That surprised me. In hindsight, it would have been better for me to go into the final with a larger group. Everyone knows how tough it is to be in the lead with someone like Remco. It’s a shame I couldn’t finish it off, but I’m not too disappointed,” Van Aert concluded.  

Team director Arthur van Dongen also looked back on a strong performance. “We always aim to win, but today Wout simply ran into a stronger Remco. We can definitely be proud of the team’s effort. With Wout and Tiesj, we had two key riders we could use to our advantage. Our plan was to take the initiative, and we executed that perfectly. We’re confident we can play a major role again this Sunday in the Amstel Gold Race. Our goal is to be in the thick of the action there as well.”