"If I can survive the climbs, I have a chance" - Is Wout van Aert within a shot of the yellow jersey?

Wout van Aert is an interesting rider to follow on the opening stage of the Tour de France. In ideal terms, the Team Visma | Lease a Bike can certainly aim for the first yellow jersey of the race; but we will see if he will have permission and legs to contest for a result or if the GC riders will take control on the day.

"I have doubts at the start here. It's a very tough ride to start with. There is no real focus in the stage," van Aert admits to Het Laatse Nieuws. "But in the last 80 kilometers one climb follows another. I have more doubts at the start than I would have liked, but that's also easy racing in a way. I'll just try and see." The Belgian is very well used to this type of stage and is well suited to the climbing involved on the day, however this is a van Aert that comes into the Tour after a less than ideal preparation.

The classics specialist suffered big injuries in the spring which saw his schedule completely change, and the choice to race the Tour was not home that came until just over a month ago. He raced the Tour of Norway revealing some form, but the real work had to be done afterwards in a three-week altitude training camp together with Jonas Vingegaard - and several other teammates that joined later. Van Aert did race the Belgian national championships but it was hard to gauge his form; but it was a step in the climb that he has to do in order to achieve his best form throughout the next three weeks.

"I'm definitely going to try today. If I can survive the climbs, I have a chance," he says. "I expect more spectacle tomorrow, but we have to be alert. The heat will make a difference. One rider can handle that better than the other."