Sunday's Paris-Roubaix was a comeback race like no other for Wout Van Aert. The Belgian native finished second just two weeks after missing the Tour de Flanders due to a COVID-19 infection.

Van Aert's team, Jumbo Visma, said before the race that Van Aert would be supporting his teammates, including Christophe Laporte and Mike Tunissen.

However, despite a crosswind incident early on, Van Aert was the star of the race, eventually sprinting to second place in the Roubaix Velodrome André Petrieu ahead of Stephane Küng (Groupama-FDJ). Under normal circumstances, Van Aert's second place would have been a disappointing result given his reputation and ability, but he expressed his surprise and delight at the result after the race.

"I am not disappointed with second place. It was a big surprise to feel so good in the race, and in fact I am happy and proud to have finished second," he said at the post-race press conference.

"In the race, when me and Stefan Küng were still in the breakaway, we were able to pull away from the others. And we raced to the finish, but I think Dylan just put a time gap on us. So I think it was the front that was the strongest."

"Of course, we had some bad luck before and during the race, but everyone has their own story in Roubaix. I'm just really happy to be on the podium."

After recovering to the front in the cobbled 5-star sector in Troje-Dahlenberg, Van Aat suffered a rear wheel puncture early in the cobbles and was back in the back again.

He then returned to the peloton on his teammate's bike, but 30 km after the mishap, Jumbo Visma came out front and blew things up in the Orchies. Van Aert went on the offensive several times in the final 50 km, and despite another puncture two sectors earlier, he was part of a countermove with Kühn on the cobblestones of Bourg-Yelle in sector 7.

He and his Swiss companions rode to the finish, unable to catch van Baar, who joined the lead group with 54 km to go.

"We were one of the only teams that didn't have to work in front or behind, so I would say it was a really good situation," Van Aart said of the split in the peloton after 47 km.

"It was a different story from Ehrenberg. I had a puncture in the rear right at the beginning. I went too far into a terrible cobblestone area. I got a flat right away, so I damaged my wheel and had to switch to my teammate's bike.

"But nothing was lost and in the end I was able to stay in the final. He had some bad luck early on and had to switch bikes several times. It's a shame, because if we could have raced together in the final we would have had more options."

Van Aat said he felt uncomfortable going into Roubaix because he had trained in Spain before the Tour de Flanders but had not raced since then. He said that as soon as he returned to racing, he returned to his usual routine of "focusing on winning races and staying out of trouble."

After the race, Van Aert had no ifs and buts. He was asked about the race he missed and whether he could have hoisted the famous cobblestone trophy at the end of the 257-km race. But he brushed off the question.

"Such quotes are meaningless. If I hadn't been ill, I would have won in Flanders, I would have won in Amstel, and I definitely would have won this time. But this is bike racing and it's not that easy."

"Even if I was 100 percent, at the highest level ever, the other 180 riders were really strong and in great shape.

"But that's the way it is, and after Flanders was gone, that was the most important thing. But that's the way it is. After Flandre was gone, that was the most important thing. We will fight, as we always do, to come back and pursue new opportunities."

"I think today I proved that I can still be on the podium after my illness. So I'm really proud and it confirms that it was worth continuing to believe."