"I probably tried to ride too hard" - Wout van Aert left disappointed by Tour de France time trial performance
Cycling
Ordinarily, Wout van Aert would start a Tour de France time-trial as one of the hot favourites for victory. On stage 7 of the 2024 edition however, that was far from the case with the Belgian finishing way off the pace.
“I didn’t have a good feeling today,” the 29-year-old of Team Visma | Lease a Bike reflected honestly in a post-stage interview with Sporza. “The start went well, but on the first uphill sections it started to get tough. Did I start too fast? Maybe, but the focus was on the first part. I probably tried to ride too hard there. I already felt on the first false flat section that it wasn’t my best day.”
It wasn't all bad for van Aert however, as despite not challenging for the stage win, the Belgian, who is still on his way back to top shape following a nasty crash earlier this Spring at Dwars door Vlaanderen did see some positives from his performance to take with him. “The climb itself didn’t go too badly for me," he assesses. "But once I reached the top I couldn’t continue. I already knew then that I wasn’t going to record a special time.”
“I didn’t know the timings, but at the second intermediate point I did see a red box behind my name. Then you know that you are definitely not in the lead. I also noticed from the coaching that I was not riding to win. Then you might take a little less risk. It just wasn’t in the cards today," concludes the nine time Tour de France stage winner, with his focus still primarily on the upcoming Olympic Games. “This Tour is not really a time trial that resembles the one in Paris. This one maybe a bit more than the other (the final stage in Nice, ed.). That is why I threw myself into it today. I hope for better legs during the Games.”
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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- 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 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
- That is a very lazy way of putting it but so far on this website it seems like everyone is happy to look at everything lazily, even things that annoy them intensely. All they want to do is state their feeling and position but ask most to analyse a problem or come up with solutions or improvements and you’re stunned by silence. Nobody even really knows how this all happens. It’s very simple and quick to just say the UCI did it but I bet you they didn’t, I bet you not more than 2 people were involved, more likely just 1. The UCI may be ultimately responsible but it is not their decision, this is about hierarchy, power and delegation. The fact that protest is possible also means it isn’t over and that MORE people could get involved for a thorough review which could throw up anything. It is highly likely it was a sole commissar who decided and has that power in a first round. Therein might lie the problem the UCI has to consider, is it acceptable to give so much authority to one single person when it is quite possible for them to have a natural bias or be too easily susceptible to imposed bias. Who is to say an individual in this position isn’t susceptible to collaboration with outside players with interests in the results, nations, families, teams, betting companies, etc. On the one hand we have sports where these problems have been worked on way more to reduce such problems, on the other hand we have sports with far stricter and more draconian rules not even concerning safety or obstruction that nobody really questions like false starts or stepping out of lane or zones in athletics. If cycling hastowork on itself, it would be good if protagonists (all kinds) would start doing a little more than just moaning over outcomes.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Yes, so why not make comments less pointless?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - There really was nothing in it. Schreiber was so much faster, and Brand was fighting to stay in the wheel in the sprint. Schreiber did move a bit, but to say she closed the door doesn't make sense because Brand couldn't enter it anyway, abd she wasn't impeded.Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026
- He should have been allowed to go to Movistar. Right now both arent a good fit for each other and are just wasting each other's time and effortabstractengineer08-11-2026
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🚴♂️🇫🇷 | Wout van Aert moet deze tijdrit maar zien als een stevige training. Hij verliest bijna een minuut op Victor Campenaerts. #TDF2024 📺 Koers kijk je via HBO Max
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