On Sunday afternoon, an exhausted Matteo Trentin (CCC Team) entered the mixed zone in Wevelgem after scoring his first podium of his career in Ghent-Wevelgem. The Italian rider made a decisive move but was beaten in the sprint by Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo).

"It was a nightmare race. He deserved it," Trentin said, always laughing. The lead group was all fast. The lead group was all fast: they were all good. There were a lot of attacks. The group disappeared and I was able to go on the attack with 1.5km to go. Then Mads beat me.

Trentin has not often led a team alone in a northern classic, but not this time. Olympic champion Greg Van Avermaat was out injured after falling in Liège-Bastogne-Liège. He had the full support of his teammates and delivered a strong performance that lived up to expectations. After challenging the gravel section Plug Street with 70 km to go, Trentin launched an attack.

Trentin escaped with a strong lead group that included eventual winner Mads Pedersen. This group stayed in front of potential winners Wout Van Aert (Jumbo Visma) and Mathieu Van Der Pol (Alpecin Phoenix) until the final climb of the Kemmelberg. From there, Trentin joined the 15-man lead group for a thrilling run.

"I'm tired. It was a really hard race today. The result could have been better, but I'm very happy. The team did a really good job until the first climb of the Kemmelberg. I was feeling fresh and enjoying the good legs. I attacked a lot and tried to build a small group, so I used a lot of energy. If the move got away with a few good riders and I had to chase them down, that's a different story."

"Obviously, Mathieu and Wout were watching each other and knew that if they could get away and arrive in Kemmelberg with a slight advantage, that would be good. In the end, I was in good shape on the climb, too, and we got to the top by about the same margin as at the base. My legs were good and I'm happy," Trentin said.

Trentin seems to have the nose for the right breakaway. He explained that in Ghent-Wevelgem it was mostly a matter of leg strength. 'Everybody was marking everybody. Every attack was a good attack; there were four of them, but they were sealed by Mathieu and me. That's when the leg exploded. Still, everyone wanted to win and we knew that with a little extra effort we could get away. Every time I attacked, some of the guys in the back had trouble. In the end, I got away, but so did the others. It was a good race. The rider with the stronger legs would win, and Mads won."

In the last few kilometers, the rivalry between van der Pol and van Aert was evident, and Trentin was asked if he noticed this rivalry during the race. I didn't feel like they were competing," Trentin said. Wout needs to understand that with the number of wins he has this season, he is in a place where no one wants to see him. The more he wins, the more difficult it becomes. Of course, he is the most watched player. I watch him too, but he is not the only one. Since San Remo he has been playing super. He needs to live up to his status," Trentin said.

"Nobody was looking at them. They were all looking at each other. Bettiol and Küng made their best attack in the last 10 km. It wasn't just Van Aert and Van der Pol. Everyone was doing their part. In the end, they made the right moves and ended up on the podium. That's all that matters. "

Greg Van Avermaat may be cleared by the doctor to race, but next week Trentin will again be the race leader for the CCC team. He said, "I still have one race left next week. I feel good. It would be great to win and finish. I felt good on the climbs, so I'll feel good next week. Everyone was very strong

"The race started on the first climb of the Kemmelberg. I would have enjoyed it if I had been sitting on the couch with a beer. Even in Brabantspijl, the racing was pure from the last 100km. I hope Greg comes to Ronde, running with two is better than running alone. Even if he is not 100% he is still Greg Van Avermaat. I hope he can compete. The crash was really bad, so his health comes first."