Wout van Aert said a cramp scare left him unable to follow Daan Soete at the Belgian Gravel Championships, where the pre-race favourite finished second on home terrain.
The Visma | Lease a Bike rider had gone into Sunday’s race as the clear rider to beat. Instead, he watched Soete ride away in the final kilometres after an aggressive race on familiar roads and gravel tracks.
Van Aert and Soete had moved clear together with 22 kilometres remaining. Their attack looked set to turn the national title into a two-rider duel, with both men sharing the front deep into the finale.
That balance changed when Soete accelerated with around three kilometres to go. Van Aert could not match the move and had to settle for second place.
Television pictures showed Van Aert repeatedly looking down toward his bike late in the race. He also grimaced and took on food as the gap opened.
After the finish, Van Aert clarified that the issue was physical, not mechanical. He said he had spent significant energy during the race and was getting “close to cramping” near the end.
Belgian Gravel Championships finale turns on late attack
Van Aert suggested his work to keep the leading move clear may have left him short when Soete attacked. He said he had tried hard to ensure the pair could reach the finish together.
That effort, he acknowledged, probably cost him the victory. The result still carried a different tone from many narrow defeats, because of the rider who beat him.
Soete is one of Van Aert’s closest friends and a regular training partner. The course also used roads and gravel tracks both riders have known since childhood.
That made the finale feel unusual for Van Aert. He said the two ride in the area all the time, and described leading the Belgian Championships together as “pretty unreal”.
The race unfolded in a setting deeply connected to both riders. For Van Aert, the route passed through territory familiar from regular training rides, adding emotion to the national championship contest.
The local interest had also built steadily before race day. Van Aert said people had spoken to him about little else in recent weeks, giving him a clear sense that crowds would turn out.
Those expectations proved accurate. Large numbers of supporters lined the roads, creating an atmosphere that made an impression on Van Aert despite missing the title.
He said the event “didn’t disappoint” and called the day “really great fun”. The response underlined how much attention the Belgian Gravel Championships had drawn in the local community.
Van Aert now turns toward the Vuelta
Van Aert will quickly shift focus from gravel to the road. His next target is the Vuelta a España, which starts in Monaco next Saturday.
The change in setting is significant after a race rooted in the Kempen region and on roads he knows well. Van Aert joked after the finish that moving “from the Kempen to Monaco” was quite a difference.
For Soete, the late move delivered the Belgian title after a day shaped by shared history, local knowledge, and a decisive final acceleration. For Van Aert, the race ended with second place and an explanation rooted in fatigue rather than tactics or equipment.
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