"If I survive there, then I have another chance in a sprint" - Wout van Aert looking for improvement on stage 2 at the Tour de France

On a hectic stage 1, Wout van Aert finished in 11th place. A relative disappointment for someone who had been amongst the pre-stage favourites to take the first Maillot Jaune of 2023. Stage 2 though, marks a second chance for the Belgian.

“I really felt it was a good situation, but the Yates brothers turned out to be stronger than us," said van Aert in an interview with Sporza prior to the start of the second stage. "That's where I kind of lost it mentally. That sprint doesn't say much. I'm glad I was in that group. I can't expect more from myself than to come out just behind the better ones. I was also able to join, but two were already gone.”

Stage 2 is on paper at least, a little bit easier. By no means is it a traditional sprint stage however, meaning van Aert again will start as one of the favourites to take victory. "The final is different with a slightly more gradual climb. If I survive there, then I have another chance in a sprint," the Belgian of Jumbo-Visma analyses.

At 22 seconds behind the race leader, Adam Yates though, taking the Yellow Jersey now seems an unrealistic proposition as van Aert himself admits. “The yellow? No, I'm not thinking about that," he says with a laugh. "I'm already at 22 seconds. I won't be faster than Adam Yates at the finish."