Christophe Laporte basked in the realisation of a dream after winning Gent-Wevelgem, but was under no illusions that his path to a first major Classic was heavily trampled by his Jumbo-Visma team, and red-carpeted by Wout van Aert.
The pair's 1-2 in Sunday's rain-soaked 260km race would have been stunning had it not carried a distinct sense of déjà-vu. 367 days ago, of course, the pair had similarly crossed the line arm-in-arm at E3 Saxo Classic, and earlier last season, they'd even done it as a trio alongside Primož Roglič.
'A gift' was how Laporte described his victory that day in Paris-Nice, and he was once again reaching for the thank you cards in Wevelgem.
"He was stronger than me today," Laporte acknowledged, having lost his Van Aert's wheel on the final climb of the Kemmelberg before linking back up for a 32km procession.
"It was Wout who asked me if I wanted to win with 10km to go," he explained. "Obviously, you know what my answer was."
The pair of them rolled into Wevelgem and Van Aert, wheel accidentally nudging in front, even interrupted the choreographed celebrations to make sure the winner was Laporte.
"He gave me a gift, and I thank him for that," Laporte said. "He's a great champion, and I'm very proud to ride with him. It's more than a year now we've been teammates, and we've done some great things together."
Laporte repeatedly expressed his gratitude towards Van Aert, but he also noted: "a feeling that I owe a lot to the team".
Indeed, Laporte's career has skyrocketed since he made the decision to leave Cofidis at the end of 2021 and join one of the top WorldTour outfits. Soon enough, there was Paris-Nice and E3, and he went on to win a stage of the Tour de France and place second at the World Championship in a dazzling 2022 campaign. Despite a sub-par display at E3 on Friday, his second season at the Dutch team appears to be shaping up in a similar fashion.
Laporte hardly came from nowhere. He was arguably Cofidis' leading light, even as they stepped up to WorldTour level in 2020, but there's still a big difference between the sort of races Laporte won on the lower-level French circuit and the results he's bringing in these days.
"I made a big career choice in changing teams, and it's turned out to be a good choice," he said before being asked whether he had any regrets about not making such a move any sooner.
"I don't feel like I wasted any time at Cofidis. I had eight great years at Cofidis. I learned a lot. I learned how to be a pro bike rider. To come into a team like Jumbo-Visma, I needed to assume a certain stature, in inverted commas, to be already one of the riders they could count on in the final. It was the right moment for me to leave. I have no regrets in any case. I'm just very happy.
"It was a dream of mine - like winning a stage of the Tour de France - to win a Classic, and I've done it now, thanks to the team and thanks to Wout. And thanks as well to my family as well, who make a lot of sacrifices for me. I've two little boys, and it's not always easy for my wife or for me, but it's great when sacrifices pay off. This is an exceptional moment that I'll guard in my memory for the rest of my days."
Laporte's Jumbo-Visma have now won every major cobbled Classic so far this season, with Dylan van Baarle soloing home at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Tiesj Benoot and Nathan Van Hooydonck enacting yet another 1-2 at Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne, Van Aert beating Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogačar at E3 on Friday.
"If I wasn't in this team, it would have left a mark for sure," Laporte said after this latest display of dominance.
"We have an exceptional collective. The team has really succeeded in creating a group with these individuals. The understanding is perfect. I think we are all ready to see a teammate win and motivated ourselves. That's our strength, and we use it."
Laporte still referred to Van Aert as "the big leader", even if he or any of the riders mentioned above could feasibly win the Tour of Flanders or Paris-Roubaix on the next two Sundays. Laporte confirmed his form is very much on the up after "not feeling 100%" at E3 on Friday, and the team as a whole are clearly flying, but
"We've fulfilled our objectives until now, but the two biggest races are still to come," he concluded.
