In Limoges, the Jumbo-Visma team had decided to play the Wout van Aert card. Christophe Laporte was the last stint in the sprint but the Belgian couldn’t disengage as he imagined. Stuck, he had to watch the fight between the Dane Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) and the green jersey, the Belgian Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) who, after three victorious sprints, had to tilt. In 2022, “WVA” had, after eight days of racing, won two stages (in Calais and Lausanne, a third awaited him in Rocamadour in the leg-breaking time trial drawn the day before the parade on the Champs -Elysees). Is he missing his Turn?
This year, indestructible, still placed, Wout van Aert is still chasing after a first stage victory on the Tour, an 8th stage victory on the Grande Boucle. Thursday, during the 6th stage Tarbes-Cauterets-Cambasque, the Belgian had displayed his strength, recalled (in the Tourmalet, as in the final climb to Cauterets) his unique versatility, the colossal work he had, throughout along the 2022 Tour, performed for Jonas Vingegard. But that day, the Dutch formation had not been rewarded for its formidable entrepreneurial spirit. Vingegaard, even if he had put on the yellow jersey, had been overtaken by Pogacar who had completely returned to the Tour. Digestion had been difficult. Van Aert, tired, had not wanted to get involved in the final packing in Bordeaux.
Like his year (2nd in Ghent-Wevelgem, after leaving the victory to Christophe Laporte; 3rd in Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix; 4th in the Tour of Flanders, silver medalist at the World Cyclo-cross …), Van Aert is, in 2023, a magnificent loser. On the Tour, he collects places of honor (11th in Bilbao, 2nd in San Sebastian, 5th in Bayonne, 9th in Nogaro, 3rd in Limoges). A group shot that recalls his ability to express himself on all terrains. A wide and penalizing palette because, used in all sauces, he comes to lack freshness when he has to turn into a scorer.
But for him, the essential is elsewhere. His team repeats it. The number 1 objective is to bring Jonas Vingegaard’s yellow jersey back to Paris for the second consecutive year. Wout Van Aert accepted it, even if it means sacrificing some of his personal ambitions, letting a great opportunity slip away due to lack of freshness in the heat of Limoges…
