Tim Wellens completed a strong showing for UAE Team Emirates at Opening Weekend, the team coming away from the Belgian season openers with a pair of second places at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne.
Much like Nils Politt's second place to Jan Tratnik in the late escape at Omloop on Saturday, there was little Wellens could have done against superior finisher Wout van Aert in Kuurne, but he came away from the weekend more than satisfied with how he and his team performed.
"Yesterday second with Nils, today second with me. Yes, we come to win, but I think we can be satisfied with two second places," he told Cyclingnews after the finish of Sunday's race.
Wellens contested the final with Van Aert and rising Spanish Classics star Oier Lazkano (Movistar) after the trio had escaped from a select lead group along with Laurence Pithie (Groupama-FDJ) 87km from the finish of the 196km race.
Pithie dropped from the group 20km later, leaving Wellens and Lazkano to think up ways to outfox Van Aert on the long, flat run back to Kuurne.
The pair couldn't manage it, but Wellens at least gave it a go with a surprise attack the long way around a roundabout with 4km to run.
"Taking that side wasn't necessarily faster," he said. "In fact, I think it was even slightly longer. However, it was harder to be on the wheel right there.
"On the other hand, riding Wout off the wheel on the flat is not simple. So, in the end, second was the highest achievable result for me."
Wellens had the beating of Lazkano in the final dash to the line in any case, adding another top result to his 2024 honour roll. So far, he's taken a podium at the Vuelta a Murcia in addition to top five placings at the Clásica Jaén and Vuelta a Andalucía as well as 12th at Omloop.
The 32-year-old has a well-known reputation for getting results at this early point in the season, though he said that he's switched up his training plans this year – his first at UAE Team Emirates – in order to hold his form deeper into the spring.
"To be honest, not because I didn't do so much intensity in training," he said. "I had the ambition to be good a little bit later in the spring, so it was a little bit of a surprise to be so good."
Now, he'll turn his attention to the cobbled Classics through March and April, with a sixth appearance at the Tour of Flanders and a Paris-Roubaix debut on his hit list.
"Like I say, I didn't do so much intensity, so I could be better a little bit later," he said. "We'll see what it gives. I'll also miss Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico to train, so we'll see what it gives.
"I am not yet in top form, according to my trainer, but it felt that way in the race. That gives confidence for what is still to come."
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