Van Aert fifth in Deutschland Tour prologue

# Wout van Aert Finishes Fifth in Deutschland Tour Prologue

In the opening prologue of the Deutschland Tour held on a challenging 3.1-kilometre course in Essen, Belgian cyclist Wout van Aert finished in fifth place, clocking in three seconds behind the winning time set by Norway’s Søren Wærenskjold of Uno-X Mobility.

Van Aert started his race later in the day, with Wærenskjold already setting a sharp benchmark of 3:31. Although Van Aert showed promise early in his ride, he ultimately finished just two seconds shy of a podium position.

Reflecting on his performance, Van Aert remarked, “It’s a result I can live with. It was short but tough. The course was extremely fast, where details made all the difference. I think I rode a solid prologue, but I never had the feeling along the way that I was on track for the fastest time.”

Looking ahead, Van Aert remained optimistic, stating, “The next few days will be very interesting. There are some great opportunities ahead. Not only for myself, but certainly also for Matthew. He’s riding very strongly this year and I’m looking forward to chasing results together with him.”

### Prologue Results

1. **Søren Wærenskjold** (Uno-X Mobility) – 00:03:31
2. **Samuel Watson** (INEOS Grenadiers) – +00:00:01
3. **Marco Haller** (Tudor Pro Cycling Team) – +00:00:02
5. **Wout van Aert** (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) – +00:00:03
32. **Matthew Brennan** (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) – +00:00:09
40. **Matisse Van Kerckhove** (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) – +00:00:10
50. **Niklas Behrens** (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) – +00:00:12
93. **Tijmen Graat** (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) – +00:00:17
95. **Steven Kruijswijk** (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) – +00:00:19

As the Deutschland Tour continues, all eyes will be on Van Aert and his teammate Matthew as they seek to capitalize on the remaining stages of the competition.