"I am surprised by the tactics of UAE Emirates" - Wout van Aert denied opening stage victory at the Tour de France

The opening stage of the 2023 Tour de France was a thriller. For Jumbo-Visma's Wout van Aert however, there will be a tinge of disappointment, as he failed to take victory and move into the Maillot Jaune.

"Chapeau to the team, only my legs started to hurt 200 meters from the line. It's really sour," the Belgian said to Sporza in a post-stage interview. "I am surprised by the tactics of UAE Emirates. We had previously expected that they would put everything on Pogacar, but this is not bad for us."

Adam Yates, the supposed dual-leader of UAE Team Emirates alongside Tadej Pogacar, was the eventual stage winner ahead of his twin brother Simon Yates. For van Aert, the day wasn't all bad though, as he kept his leader, Jonas Vingegaard safely in the mix.

“I would have preferred to take the stage victory myself, but I am happy with the position I was in. Because the last two or three climbs it was really fast. But it is disappointing that someone stays ahead," he analyses. "We tried everything to get them back, but it didn't work. Sepp and Wilco drove for me. For Jonas, that gap did not have to be closed. Mentally it was over when I saw that we weren't going to make it anymore."