Jumbo-Visma DS understands Wout Van Aert's early departure from Tour de France: "Monday evening he told the riders. Some of them also have children, so they responded very understandingly"

On Thursday morning the news came that Wout van Aert is no longer at the start of the eighteenth Tour de France stage, but when Jumbo-Visma published the video, Van Aert was already at home in Herentals. The Dutch team managed to keep it remarkably quiet, because the decision was actually made on Monday on the rest day as sports director Arthur van Dongen reveals for De Telegraaf.

"It was already coming on the rest day," said Van Dongen. "On Monday we were informed that it was already starting to get crowded at home and from there we followed it closely from day to day. That Monday evening he told the riders. Some of them also have children, so they responded very understandingly. It was not a real surprise, because we knew in advance that this was a possibility. In the past, something like this may have happened less often, but we think the person behind the rider is just as important."

"Wout was taken from the bus on Wednesday. Almost inconspicuously to the helicopter with the Van Eerd family, of our main sponsor Jumbo. He took him to a private plane with which he flew home. He has not been in the hotel again." In other words: Van Aert was already with his wife Sarah last night, while no one outside Jumbo-Visma realized that.

"It was the objective to go for a stage win with Wout. Last year, the green jersey was an objective, with a number of stage victories. Now, in addition to the yellow jersey, our goal was to take stage victories. That did not work. He has worked hard for it, but has come up against stronger competitors a few times. That is a pity, but no stage win in the Tour does not detract from the qualities and the top cyclist Wout van Aert," says Van Dongen.