'I was there but Mathieu was stronger' says Van Aert after Worlds silver medal

Wout van Aert took home the silver medal from the road race at the UCI Road World Championships in Glasgow
Wout van Aert took home the silver medal from the road race at the UCI Road World Championships in Glasgow (Image credit: OLI SCARFFAFP via Getty Images)

Few people could've built a more star-filled podium at the UCI Road World Championships than the Mathieu van der Poel–Wout van Aert–Tadej Pogačar combination that came to pass at the end of the 271km race in Glasgow on Sunday.

The biggest names in the road cycling world came together on the challenging hilly city circuit to round out the six-hour race, with Dutchman Van der Poel chalking up another score in the eternal battle with long-time rival Van Aert.

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.