Christophe Laporte controls ambitions heading towards Tour de France: "It's not my first priority to win mass sprints"

Christophe Laporte has raced very little this year, but has been extremely successful. He currently leads the Criterium du Dauphiné after three days of racing, having won two of the sprints. However, his role towards the Tour de France has not changed.

“I don't know what Wout [van Aert] is planning. Does he aspire to the green? Or not? That can change everything," Laporte told Het Nieuwsblad. The Frenchman has beaten Sam Bennett and Dylan Groenewegen in a regular sprint yesterday, however he shrugs off sprinting chances at the Grand Boucle: "Let's be clear: it's not my first priority to win mass sprints. Jonas and the yellow are.”

As was the case last year, Laporte raced the Tour in support of Vingegaard and van Aert, who won yellow and green respectively. With the vast success the team achieved, the Frenchman was given the opportunity to fight for a win on stage 19, which he grabbed with both hands and won with a late attack. He also sprinted to a second place at the World Championships in Wollongong - first out of the peloton.

“My sprint victory in the Dauphiné is also my first ever flat sprint win in the WorldTour. But take Monday's La Chaise-Dieu sprint, in which I only finished fourth. Wout van Aert is always the favorite on such an arrival in the Tour. Then I enjoy working for him," he concluded. Van Aert is unlikely to target the regular bunch sprints, perhaps giving the Frenchman more space.