After three days of Tour de France, the prize for most consistent rider goes without a doubt to Wout van Aert. The Belgian from Jumbo-Visma finished second in the time trial on Friday, on Saturday he was narrowly beaten by Fabio Jakobsen and in the third stage on Saturday it was even closer in duel with Dylan Groenewegen. Three times second in three days, Van Aert is there sporza moderately satisfied.
‘Of course I’m here to win races, this is a disappointment’, is his first reaction. ‘It’s a nice balance that I’m more solid in yellow and green, but it’s also a disappointment that I’m missing it again. In the sprint I really had the feeling that I was in control. Christophe (Laporte, ed.) gave me the perfect lead-out, but I started too early myself and should have followed his trail a little longer.’
Groenewegen eventually went over it, as a result of which Van Aert has not yet won after three days. His lead of seven seconds over Yves Lampaert in the general classification didn’t really bother him just after the finish. “If I just sit there a little longer, I’ll win. This sprint was about centimeters and so this was just a big mistake on my part. Unfortunately.’
Van Aert enjoys the yellow jersey
Logically, driving in the yellow jersey was very cool for Van Aert, he agrees. ‘My first day in yellow was in any case a wonderful experience. It couldn’t be much nicer than to be able to cycle among so many enthusiastic spectators. In any case, it was a beautiful day.”
Bee HLN Van Aert responds to Sagan’s swipe. Immediately after the arrival, he pointed the finger at Van Aert and called out to him. The Belgian is not aware of any harm. “I saw him looking at me after the finish. I didn’t hear what he called to me. I think he was the one sitting to my right who didn’t have a seat. But I shouldn’t hold the door open either. In any case, I don’t think anything wrong happened on my side.’
