"I’m in the Tour and hopefully for as long as possible" - Wout van Aert unsure where rumours of immediate departure emerged from

Wout van Aert may leave the Tour de France to be present for the birth of his second child, however there is no set date or even the confirmation that he will leave. After rumours surged in the peloton he was to leave the race yesterday, the Belgian shrugged it off.

“I guess it’s no news for you guys that my wife is pregnant again and we expect a boy. I just did a quick call with my wife to check if she’s alright and luckily, she’s doing well, so I don’t know where it’s coming from. But I’m in the Tour and hopefully for as long as possible," van Aert reassured after the finale in Issoire. In a day where he - and several others - struggled with the severe heat and hilly terrain, he dedicated himself to working in the head of the peloton for Jumbo-Visma for a large amount of kilometers after not making the breakaway, as the break succeeded and Jonas Vingegaard secured the yellow jersey.

Danish media had reported yesterday that van Aert could departure the race 'in the coming hours', Mattias Skjelmose then repeated those words before the start. However van Aert is left scratching his head on why that was the case. “I have no idea where that boy got that from. I've never spoken to him. But I'll ask him tomorrow. Maybe he wants me to go home,” he said in a joking tone.

“My team director informed me in the last part of the race, so I was a bit prepared for it. I was happy I could make the call and it was all just a rumour. Maybe there’s some guys in the peloton who want me to go home," he concluded.