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"Saturday's stage is a very big test, but he has the capabilities for it" - Jumbo-Visma confident Wout van Aert can win opening Tour de France stage
CyclingSaturday, 01 July 2023 at 13:30
Wout van Aert has taken the KOM on the Côte de Pike this Friday in a training ride, where Jumbo-Visma had a taste of how hard the Basque climb is. Merijn Zeeman believes that Wout van Aert could be at the head of affairs on this opening day.
“He has so much respect in our team. How he presents himself, how he expresses his opinion. Mega charismatic, an extreme leader. He is the leader of this team and makes the decisions. A very special boy," team DS Merijn Zeeman said in an interview with Het Nieuwsblad. “Wout's fuel is winning. So he chooses his days and unpacks. And he combines that with what we want as a team. He also takes the lead there. He will say what he thinks and direct people. He will not go green, because of the World Championships that follows. Whether we can use Wout even more than last year as a result? That is almost impossible, because he was already a phenomenon in that Tour.”
The Belgian won't aim for green and may leave the race early for the birth of his second child. The bunch sprints will be complicated, and he stands his best chances on days like today where the climbs will thin down the peloton, and he has the opportunity in a sprint. Van Aert is capable, on his best day, to race the short steep climbs among the best, and with a yellow jersey on the line today many will give it their everything to take a win.
“Saturday's stage is a very big test, but he has the capabilities for it. We have an idea, but it wouldn't be smart to reveal it," Zeeman continues, however unknowing if van Aert has already reached his best form. "There are no guarantees. We will only see what it all yields in the coming weeks, but if we look at his numbers, it looks good.”
Zeeman concludes by confirming that van Aert will with certainty leave the race independent of when his wife gives birth (if it's to happen during the Tour): “He will become a father somewhere in the period with the Tour and the World Champion. When Sarah gives birth, Wout goes home. If nature takes its course, it normally only happens after the Tour. If that changes, we will talk about it and see how we approach it. We totally understand that.”
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