"I was already quite tired after the first two hours" - Wout Van Aert 4th after a day spent in breakaway

Even though riders didn't visit high mountains on the fifteenth stage of Tour de France, the UAE Team Emirates - XRG and Visma | Lease a Bike colours were again in the spotlight. While UAE rider Tim Wellens won with a 40km solo, Visma riders Victor Campenaerts (2nd) and Wout Van Aert (4th) were also important players in today's stage.

"It was flat out all the way, and quite chaotic at the beginning," begins Van Aert afterwards. "Especially with the crash that Jonas [Vingegaard] was involved in. It was difficult to choose the right tactics, because we wanted to be in the breakaway, but also slow down so Jonas could get back into the peloton. So it was a bit tricky."

"I think we did well, the communication was good. I found myself in the leading groups. Actually, we were controlled all day, it took a lot of effort and communication. I was already quite tired after the first two hours of pulling all the time."

In the end Victor Campenaerts played his cards better among the Belgian Visma duo and arrived 2nd. Having teammate up the road was ultimately also an advantage for Van Aert, he admitted: "I think he was stronger on the climb, so it was good to have him in front of me, I was also able to stay in the group. In the final, it came down to power, which gives me an advantage as a heavier rider."

After tomorrow's rest day, the 'bees' will get back to work for team leader Jonas Vingegaard who remains second overall after two weeks. "Yes, we are still in the race for the podium, that's true. But with the speed we are riding at the moment, it is really difficult to close a gap of 20 to 30 seconds. You have to be attentive all the time, because it is hard to make up time," he concluded on whether Tadej Pogacar can be dethroned.