It’s lonely on the road, with only thousands upon thousands of adoring fans for company. After cresting the top of the Kruisberg, Wout van Aert still had 26km to race, but he must have sensed the Tour of Flanders was already lost.
The roar of the home crowd can only inspire a man so far at a time like this. All the good wishes in Belgium weren’t going to bridge the gap being opened by Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) and Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck).
