Wellens 'satisfied' with 'highest achievable' result behind Van Aert at Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne

Wout van Aert, Tim Wellens and Oier Lazkano in the breakaway at Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne
Wout van Aert, Tim Wellens and Oier Lazkano in the breakaway at Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne (Image credit: Getty Images)

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.

Dani Ostanek
Senior News Writer

Dani Ostanek is Senior News Writer at Cyclingnews, joining in 2017 as a freelance contributor and later being hired full-time. Before joining the team, they had written for numerous major publications in the cycling world, including CyclingWeekly and Rouleur.

Dani has reported from the world's top races, including the Tour de France, Road World Championships, and the spring Classics. They have interviewed many of the sport's biggest stars, including Mathieu van der Poel, Demi Vollering, and Remco Evenepoel. Their favourite races are the Giro d'Italia, Strade Bianche and Paris-Roubaix.

Season highlights from the 2024 season include reporting from Paris-Roubaix –  'Unless I'm in an ambulance, I'm finishing this race' – Cyrus Monk, the last man home at Paris-Roubaix – and the Tour de France – 'Disbelief', gratitude, and family – Mark Cavendish celebrates a record-breaking Tour de France sprint win.