"This stage was not necessarily a stage for Jonas" - Wout Van Aert makes no worries about Jonas Vingegaard losing eight seconds on Puy de Dome

Wout van Aert was again seen leading the peloton in final kilometers. The Jumbo-Visma all-rounder kept the pace high in the group for Jonas Vingegaard before riders hit the steepest parts. The Belgian talked briefly to Sporza before leaving off to his team bus.

"But not only the last four kilometers are difficult, even before that on that wide road. We tried for Jonas, but I think he and Tadej were evenly matched again." In the end, Pogacar emerged eight seconds ahead of Vingegaard. “It was another hand-to-hand fight. Of course it would have been better if he was in the wheel, but considering how steep it is, he could have lost more on a bad day."

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Did Jumbo-Visma not have the plan to grab time here? "This stage was not necessarily a stage for Jonas," said Van Aert. "It was too easy on the road to make a difference. In any case, today the plan was to pick up the pace on the climb."

After the stage, the Belgian mainly mentions the heat that may have killed many riders. "Yeah, really hot, so I think some guys weren't feeling really good. Fortunately there is a rest day tomorrow, although it will be over soon."

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VIDEO: Tour de France 2023 stage 9 highlights