• Friday, June 28, 2024 at 8:30 AM
Interview The last few months it kept people busy. Are Wout van Aert and Jonas Vingegaard fit enough to start in the Tour de France? The answer was ‘yes’, because both are in Florence for the Great departure. Now the question is whether they are both in top form. “I am especially happy to be back, especially in the biggest race of the year,” Wout van Aert said in the press conference prior to the Tour.
Merijn Zeeman recently complimented the Dane and the Belgian, because it was not a simple matter that they would make it to the start at all. “Everyone knows what a tough year it has been for me,” says Van Aert. “It is also difficult for me to express the right expectations. What is certain is that I am here in the worst shape at the start of all the Tours I have already ridden, so that gives me a bit of a strange feeling. Of course the form is good enough, we have worked hard in recent months to get to this level.”
Still, the ten-time (!) stage winner in the Tour de France finds it difficult to assess himself. “The form is not what I am used to. It is really a matter of waiting and seeing what this level will be worth in the Tour. But I can be of value to my team Visma | Lease a Bike in any case. Probably more during the flatter stages, but if my legs improve, possibly also – if that proves necessary – on the tougher days. That is also necessary to find opportunities for myself, let that be clear.”
photo: Cor Vos
Olympics
Initially, Van Aert would not ride the Tour at all. In the run-up to the Olympic Games, he would do the Giro d’Italia in preparation. A serious crash in Dwars Door Vlaanderen threw a spanner in the works. “The Games are a big goal for me, both the time trial and the road race. I believe that due to the circumstances following my crash in the spring, riding the Tour is the best decision with a view to the Games. But of course also to race here. This is not a competition where you can prepare yourself for other goals.”
However, with his current form, Van Aert expects him to get better and better as the race progresses. “Hopefully we will arrive in Nice healthy and well, after a great Tour with the team. After that I will have to make the switch to the Games very quickly. In any case, I am proud of myself with the work I have done in the last two months to return to this level. It was a fine balance between rehabilitation and good training. But how and whether I can show myself in the Tour is difficult to predict.”
To sprint or not?
Whether he will get involved in the mass sprints himself, the Belgian leaves open. “I hope to be competitive, whether that is in the sprints or other stages. Last weekend I also tried to sprint during the Belgian road championship, but that didn’t work out well. You really have to be in top shape if you want to get involved in that. With a nice but tough opening weekend, I immediately know what is possible and especially what is not possible.” In 2022, Van Aert brought the green points jersey to Paris.
2024-06-28 06:30:00
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