"I probably tried to ride too hard" - Wout van Aert left disappointed by Tour de France time trial performance

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.”