“I feel like I'm getting better and better” – Wout van Aert still approaching top Tour de France form

Wout van Aert held back in Wednesday’s stage 5 time trial, opting not to push himself to the limit. He’s targeting opportunities in the stages ahead and is still working his way into top form after riding the Giro d’Italia in May and falling ill shortly before the Tour de France began.

"I'm optimistic and still see opportunities for a stage win every week," he told Het Laatste Nieuws after the stage. "Although I felt healthy when the Tour started, I may have lost a little bit of my fitness due to the illness during the Belgian Championship weekend. On Tuesday, I noticed I've made a step forward, and I feel like I'm getting better and better."

His last Tour stage victory came three years ago, also in a time trial. Van Aert believes he’ll be stronger as the race wears on. "I'm optimistic and expect my patience to yield a real chance at success one of the next few days. My chances usually improve as a Grand Tour progresses and the rest of the peloton becomes more tired."

He’s cautious about Thursday’s profile, which suits his characteristics on paper. But he noted, "That's mainly up to the GC riders. If they want to give it their all, riders of my type will have to acknowledge their superiority on a course like this."

Meanwhile, Team Visma | Lease a Bike had a difficult day in the time trial. Jonas Vingegaard lost over a minute to both Tadej Pogacar and Remco Evenepoel, dropping to fourth in the general classification behind Kevin Vauquelin.

One lingering question remains: will we finally see a true showdown between Van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel at this Tour? Thursday’s stage could offer that possibility, if the race dynamics allows it, and Van Aert’s legs are up for it.