Wout van Aert can live with fourth place, but he has doubts about something else

video Wout van Aert decided to take part in the sprint on stage 10 of the Tour de France. The Visma rider | Lease a Bike eventually crossed the line in fourth place in Saint-Amand-Montrond. A result the Belgian can live with.

Although there might have been more for Van Aert, as he had to give up some positions to race in the last kilometre. “Third place was definitely possible. For the rest, I have to look at the sprint again, but I’m satisfied with it. Coming out of the first corner, I allowed myself to do a lot. A few guys passed.”

“As a result, I was too wide in the next corner and lost more places. It’s a real shame, because Christophe (Laporte, ed.) had been performing brilliantly up until then. He even had legs to get me off. It’s a shame.”

Can we then also talk about the missed opportunity? “It is indeed a missed opportunity. If you can start your sprint next to Philipsen (stage winner, ed.), you really know who is faster. Now it is delivered perfectly and then it becomes impossible to make up positions,” said Van Aert.

On the “boring” journey: “It doesn’t make anyone happy.”
The 29-year-old recently complained about his “concrete legs,” but how did he feel after the first rest day? “Well, although it was a very easy ride. It’s a shame that this is still there. This doesn’t make anyone happy,” Van Aert says critically.

But what is the solution in the Belgian’s opinion? “It has to start with the riders who believe that something is possible. If you are in the lead today and you manage to survive the ‘fan part’… we as classification teams are so nervous that we don’t chase after all. Then you have a real chance, but it seems that no teams want or can do that.

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