🇫🇷 #TDF2023 Rest day after some heavy mountain stages. Getting ready for the final week. 🔥 #rideyourdreams 💭
Wout van Aert shrugs off Armstrong and Hincapie criticism: "I'm not going to argue with him"
CyclingTuesday, 18 July 2023 at 11:28
Wout van Aert has had an incredibly busy Tour de France thus far, in the rest day he has discussed some of the ups, downs and commentary he's been throughout during these two weeks of hard work.
"I always like to have my family around, but now it's important for them to be at home. But in that respect it is my most difficult Tour so far, to always be able to keep my head. I haven't had any visitors in this race yet, which I'm not used to," van Aert says in an interview with Het Laatste Nieuws. Last year everything clicked for Jumbo-Visma, van Aert himself having won three stages and the green jersey, besides helping Vingegaard into the overall win.
This year green was not in his sight, he may leave the race to be present in his second child's birth, and is also taking the Tour in a more conservative form in order to be fresh in time for the Glasgow World Championships which come two weeks after the Tour. He has chased stage wins on several days coming close in a few but without the win, but has also been a very valuable domestique for Jonas Vingegaard in several mountainous days.
Reaching the end of the second week, van Aert admits "mixed feelings. I am somewhat satisfied with the high level that I have achieved. I felt like I was at the appointment. On the other hand, I had hoped for better results. I think I was just that little bit better last year. As a result, it went just that fraction better for me. At the same time, we all set heaps of records here. That's not just Jonas and Pogacar, we also have to ride crazy fast to help those men. I'm close to my best legs, that's for sure, but it's also sometimes in a small corner. The fact that Jasper Philipsen cuts me off has nothing to do with my form, of course."
Read also
Former pros George Hincapie and Lance Armstrong were judgmental of the team tactics in which Jumbo-Visma are launching riders into breakaways without obtaining a win, van Aert, admits not to be too worried about that: "I'm not going to argue with him. It is very nice to receive such a compliment from someone who has been through it all. But I keep my feet on the ground and I also feel that there are many riders in the peloton who can hurt me."
"So I'll leave it up to you whether that's really true. I certainly understand that it may look strange or that people from the past think that everyone in the team should only ride for the yellow jersey. But I'm super happy that we dare to look at it differently," he concludes.
Read also
claps 5visitors 46108
Just in
Subscribe to our Daily Newsletter today!
Nov 05, 13:04
0
Popular news
Latest comments
- The point is obvious: MVDP can beat Tadej on CX/Road and Tadej cannot. What is so hard to understand???averagecyclist22-12-2024
- Funny... one doper enabler backing the doper he enabled ! Who would have guessed.frieders322-12-2024
- Wouldn’t be here if I wasn’tMistermaumau22-12-2024
- So you're bored, got itvappaxbipmv22-12-2024
- Does everything need to have a point? If so, 99% of the internet should be wiped away. In relation to recent articles with quotes from other riders, my statement points to the ever more obvious reason why they are asked to comment on the effect of his return.Mistermaumau22-12-2024
- If anyone would be interested enough to launch an official survey as to who out of these three should shut up, I don’t know who’d win but I’m due Boonen would be way back in 3rd place.Mistermaumau22-12-2024
- And your point is what exactly?vappaxbipmv22-12-2024
- MVDP dominates this sport even more than Pogaçar dominates road racing. Also he can beat Tadej on the road quite regularly, the opposite is unlikely.Mistermaumau22-12-2024
- If you listen to team radios you'll hear each DS telling their riders to ride faster, fight their way to the front, and all occupy the same 8 places.Sweep22-12-2024
- You're talking about a sport where equipment and clothing is measured in grams.Sweep22-12-2024