Some 30 kilometres from the finish of the Clásica Jaén, just after the race had clattered through severely technical sections of narrow cobbled streets in the Andalusian town of Úbeda, Wout van Aert finally opted to sit up, his day's work done. The battle for victory in Spain's only sterrato Classic was continuing, but the top pre-race favourite was no longer part of it.
There had been much talk beforehand of Van Aert's unfinished business with Jaén after an untimely encounter between his rear tyre and a large nail in one of the early gravel sectors of the 2024 race had put paid to his chances.
Fast forward 12 months and for all his Visma-Lease a Bike team trainer had said that Van Aert could not be ruled out for the win in his road debut for 2025 and Van Aert himself had expressed a keen desire to get to grips once again with Jaén's demanding terrain - on the day, it just didn't work out like that.
Van Aert had already sent a few alarm bells ringing some 70 kilometres out when he drifted out of the back of the chasing group after a searing drive by Tim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates-XRG). The doubts persisted for another half hour, but then when Van Aert made a sustained effort to keep his teammate Ben Tulett in contention 30 kilometres further on, it was obvious that the decision he was switching into a domestique's role.
The Belgian star was somewhat critical of his team's performance overall, saying that after such a dangerous pair of rivals as Michal Kwiatkowski (Ineos Grenadiers) and Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) had attacked and made contact with the early break, Visma-Lease a Bike were left "chasing the facts" - in other words, in damage limitation mode. But at the same time, Van Aert himself was not in a position to go for the victory.
"I had the feeling that Ben was our best man, but he lacked some confidence," Van Aert said afterwards. "That's why I said to him to save himself for the final and that I'd tried to do something for him.
"It wasn't a bad start, but it was a tough race."
Tulett finally claimed ninth after being overly isolated in the finish, and Van Aert himself said that once the race had begun to take shape, Visma were on the back foot.
"I was able to stay up there when the initial selection started, but after that, we missed the beat too often and we were left chasing the facts," Van Aert said. He had been held up by a crash early on and had had to waste some energy, but he also stated categorically that "with good legs that wouldn't have been a problem:
"I tried to tell Ben a few times that he should really attack, but without asking he was already riding in front," Van Aert told Belgian media. "He was riding so hard that I just had to get on his wheel.
"I could have ridden for the top ten, but with him, we still had a small chance of victory.”
A mammoth seven-hour training ride in Mallorca last week sparked speculation that Van Aert might have gone too hard in the build-up to Jaén, but as he pointed out, road racing with sections is anything but straightforward even under the best of circumstances.
"This is a very special race, so it might have been better to have some more races under my belt before I came here," he told Nieuwsblad after completing his first road event since crashing out of the Vuelta a España last season.
"I already have some endurance from the cyclocross racing, but today... I wasn't bad, but I didn't feel good enough to win. I'm glad I've got that first race done, anyway, and that I'm back in the peloton again."
