Wout van Aert has demonstrated his strength and resilience in this Tour of Flanders and, even though he finished fourth in the end, the Belgian sees this result positively. Just like in Through Flanders, after all the work done, the final touch was missing, but Visma-Lease a Bike knows this is the right path to approach next Sunday's Paris-Roubaix in the best way.

"Hell is the place where Wout can truly demonstrate his real identity" – said team manager Grischa Niermann - "In concrete terms, he has trained a bit less on explosiveness and more on endurance. With the intention of giving his maximum even after 200 kilometers. Not only for this Tour of Flanders, but also for next Sunday's Paris-Roubaix".

Certainly, Visma-Lease a Bike was not idle yesterday, and the team was very active with Benoot, Jorgenson, and Van Aert. "This was the race we wanted to see" - continued a satisfied Niermann - "Tiesj anticipated, Wout and Matteo responded. We faced almost all key points from the beginning and did an excellent job".

Last Wednesday, after a disappointing result in Through Flanders, Grischa Niermann had taken full responsibility for the missed victory, and yesterday he was satisfied with Van Aert's fourth place. The victory went to an incredible Tadej Pogacar, who in the last 20 kilometers exhausted all his opponents with his repeated attacks. Not even Van der Poel managed to stay on the Slovenian's wheel and ultimately finished third behind Mads Pedersen in second and Van Aert in fourth.

"The difference with Pogacar is still significant. He can repeat his attacks ten, twenty times. And he tackles almost all climbs with the same gear".

However, Paris-Roubaix is very different from the Tour of Flanders, and there will be no repeated climbs where the Slovenian can make a difference. "Paris-Roubaix is another important appointment. And I think Wout will give his best in his current form" - Niermann emphasized - "We will continue to fight for victory in the Ronde year after year, but we cannot ignore the fact that Paris-Roubaix is much more suitable for Wout. There will be no difficult and steep climbs, no subsequent accelerations, and it's no secret that Wout rides extremely well on the pavé".

Van Aert's morale is high, and what happened in Through Flanders is now just a memory. The Flemish rider has turned the page and is now ready to face Paris-Roubaix as a true protagonist.

"We are committing ourselves one hundred percent again. But it remains a chaotic race where anything can happen, and you can be sure that Tadej will be a determining factor in this race as well. He has trained a couple of times on the course, and I saw during the Tour of Flanders that he manages the flatter pavé sections quite well. Roubaix will be a difficult race where anything can happen".