If second place at the E3 Saxo Bank Classic on Friday felt like half a victory for Christophe Laporte, the same position two days later in Ghent-Wevelgem felt more like a defeat.

In Harelbeke, Laporte accompanied his Jumbo-Visma teammate Wout Van Aert on his triumphant march from Paterberg to the finish. With 24km to go, he was used as the Belgian champion's first team, but was forced to fight for the win as a group of four built a winning advantage on the run-in to Wevelgem.

Laporte may have been inattentive as he was set up to lead the sprinting contest on the Vanackeresstraat.

The 21-year-old set up a strong sprint with just under 250m to go, putting a decisive gap on Laporte. With less than 250m to go, the Frenchman made a decisive gap on Laporte and struggled to recover, but was left in second place.

"I felt good, I really thought I could win," Laporte said as he paused in the mixed zone. [Gil May came a long way in the sprint and the gap opened up quickly. I managed to close in at the end, but I couldn't pass him. It's a real shame."

LaPorte's disappointment was palpable, but he seemed less certain about whether he had made a mistake in managing the finale. Of course, he has been involved in this game long enough to know that the winner is always right and the loser is always criticized.

"I don't know if I made a mistake or not, but it doesn't make any difference now because I didn't win anyway," Laporte, who finished with Gil May, Dries Van Gestel (Total Energies), and Jasper Steiven (Trek Segafredo) He said.

"I felt like I could win, but a four-man sprint is not a simple thing. But sprinting with four riders is not a simple task. Maybe I was marked because of Friday's E3. I can control it better from behind."

Laporte hesitated to start his sprint from a distance because of the light headwind on the finish straight, and was caught flat-footed by Gil May's smart acceleration. Laporte missed his chance.

"I saw the banner with 250 meters to go and thought it was a bit far with this headwind. I thought I could reel him in, but he took a nice advantage," Laporte said.

"I got back a little bit at the end, but it was too little too late," Laporte said.

Van Aert had been favored to win Ghent-Wevelgem this spring after winning Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Ghent-Wevelgem.

However, the relatively mild conditions meant that the race was not as breathtaking as last year.

Nevertheless, Jumbo-Visma made its presence felt at every critical moment, and Van Aert cleared Kemmelberg alone in the final time.

When the race regrouped on the other side, Jumbo-Visma attempted to send riders upward rather than maintain the lead pack for Van Aert.

"It was a good thing because Bahrain and the other teams were making the race more difficult," he said.

"Wout got away in the last Kemmelberg. He wanted to put the team in a good position so that Wout and the others wouldn't have to run behind him."

"The team did a great job, but I couldn't pull it off. It's not often you get a chance like that. I don't think the Flanders Classic is the best course for me. It's a course where I've had some of my best results, but it's also a course where I've had some big disappointments."

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