Tiesj Benoot on Visma's all-out attack on crosswinds: "If you don’t anticipate, you're gonna end up behind"

We have witnessed another lightning fast day at the Tour de France. The threat of crosswinds was closer than ever and after handful of false alarms, the most loyal fans have finally witnessed the sought after echelons. And would you guessed it - Visma | Lease a Bike took charge in splitting the peloton, temporarily putting the likes of Adam Yates and many sprinters out of the battle for stage victory.

The group of Yates or Arnaud Démare eventually caught back when the wind direction changed but it was still an impressive showcase by the Dutch formation. Visma's Tiesj Benoot talked to WielerFlits about how things unfolded afterwards: "We expected this," he confirmed their attack didn't come out of the blue.

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"When we saw the weather forecast yesterday, we had already prepared ourselves for it," said the Belgian. It showed. Visma | Lease a Bike stretched out the peloton at one point, causing a massive selection with only 43 riders able to stay with the peloton.

And that while a tough Pyrenees weekend was coming up. Why spending so much energy in this action? "If you don’t participate, you're behind. When it split for the second time, sixty kilometres from the finish, I was a bit too far away myself. Suppose you’re there with Jonas, then it’s all hands on deck. When you’re riding with Jonas, you always have to be at the front."

Benoot and Visma | Lease a Bike believed that the fans could carry them to the end. "Certainly. Why not? I think we only sprinted with half a peloton." In that sprint, Wout van Aert finished second. "Yes, it’s a shame. It was really a stage for Wout. It was a very difficult day and then a sprint with a smaller peloton. That’s something that suits him perfectly. But I think it was a good stage for us overall, just a shame for Wout."

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🇫🇷 #TDF2024 💬 "This was a great day. It was plenty of racing all day." - Wout van Aert Read more in our report! ✍🏼⤵️

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