"I am the best of normal people" jokes Wout van Aert after finishing third behind Pogacar and Vingegaard on stage 16 time-trial
Cycling
When Wout van Aert finished his time-trial, taking the lead of the standings at the time by 15 seconds, the Belgian must have held hopes of finally taking his first stage win at this year's Tour de France. Sadly for him, two superhumans were to follow.
"I am the best of normal people," laughed the 28-year-old Belgian in a post-stage interview with Eurosport immediately following the conclusion of the day's racing. "The other two are not normal people," he says of Pogacar and his Jumbo-Visma teammate, Vingegaard.
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Vingegaard was the dominant winner, destroying Pogacar by over a minute and a half courtesy of a simply sensational ride. Even van Aert himself admits that his team leader's performance shocked him, admitting the he never expected the gap between the two race favourites to be quite so big.
"No definitely not. Not even after the past few days. But I know that Jonas is a good time trialist, he has made huge strides," he says. “The difference between these two is so big with the rest. But it's not over yet. It's definitely a good day for us. We have to keep fighting until Paris, because the Vosges are still coming. Now recover well and look forward to tomorrow."
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- I know, watch the video. and listen to her competitors. it was a tricky tacky call at best. WTF is this guy talking about??? my original comment was from the picture it didn't look like anything.mij09-11-2026
- I dunno what you're talking about. you make no sense. MS's competitor and the competitors coach said it was BS. she didn't deviate in a way that relegation should be required. revel LOL. you're so cool, in your own mind.mij09-11-2026
- deviation lol, watch the videomij09-11-2026
- the 'No different than women who follow and discuss celebs through gossip magazines' comment was unfortunately a bit off. didn't you just boast about your principles in the comments section of another article?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- Are you MrMauMau 2.0? Nothing you are saying is really relevant. Vaguely connected, but irrelevant. The conversation is whether Schreiber impeded Brand or not.
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...Dariusz08-11-2026
- Yeah, unreal.
parisbound0008-11-2026
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🇫🇷 #TDF2023 You’re definitely a 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫 human, Wout! 😉
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