“I lost control and ended up on the ground” - Wout van Aert starts Tour de France build-up bruised, bandaged and short of best

Wout van Aert’s first race since conquering Paris-Roubaix was a bruising reminder that his Tour de France build-up is still very much a work in progress.

Two months after taking the second Monument victory of his career, the Belgian returned at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes with his right arm wrapped, his right knee marked by a training crash and his climbing legs not yet where he wanted them.

The Team Visma | Lease a Bike rider was distanced on the steep Cote de Quaix-en-Chartreuse during a demanding opening stage from Vizille to Saint-Ismier, which packed more than 3,000 metres of climbing into the first day of racing. Van Aert had tried to help teammate Matteo Jorgenson before easing off, and he insisted afterwards there was no reason for alarm.

“Did I feel pain? Yes, in the legs,” Van Aert told HLN after the stage.

The Belgian explained that his role had been to support Jorgenson where possible before backing off once the pace became too much. “I didn’t have a great feeling,” Van Aert admitted. “I tried to help the team a bit, including by positioning Matteo, and then I didn’t force it. I had hoped for a slightly better feeling, but it isn’t something I’m worried about.”

That final line summed up his opening day. Van Aert is not racing the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes as a finished product. After his Roubaix break, this week is about rebuilding race sharpness, supporting Jorgenson where required and finding chances later in the race if the terrain opens up.

Stages 4 and 5 may offer more realistic opportunities than the climbing-heavy opener. Van Aert accepted that the race is still largely weighted towards climbers, but he sees possible routes into the week. “This is always one of the hardest races, with lots of chances for the climbers. In a sprint or from the breakaway, I can have a chance,” he said.

Van Aert had arrived at the start with clear evidence of the crash he suffered earlier in the week. His right arm was wrapped and his right knee was covered, although he played down the impact. “It’s hard to hide,” he said with a laugh. “I crashed on Monday with my time trial bike. It was my fault. A small lapse of concentration meant I lost control of my handlebars and ended up on the ground.”

The damage was obvious, but Van Aert said it was not serious enough to affect his race programme. “It’s not too bad, otherwise I wouldn’t have started.”

The bigger target remains July. Visma have entered the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes with the Tour de France in mind, and Van Aert identified the team time trial as one of the squad’s first priorities this week. “To begin with, we are aiming for the team time trial,” he said.

Van Aert’s return comes after one of the defining wins of his career. Paris-Roubaix gave him the second Monument victory of his palmares and removed one of the biggest lingering questions around his spring legacy.

It has not, however, brought any sense of closure to his ambitions. “That is just to start with, of course. After I won Milan-Sanremo, I didn’t stop winning either,” he said.

Van Aert described the Roubaix victory as something that changed “something and nothing”, calling it a major relief that he enjoyed fully before returning to training and the next target. “It was a great relief and I was able to enjoy it intensely, but in the end you still have to start training again and look ahead to the next thing.”

The first day back was bruising rather than brilliant, but Van Aert’s message was clear enough. There was no panic, no major injury concern and no change to the bigger plan, only the first hard step in a race block designed to carry him towards the Tour.