Wout van Aert thrilled after "one of my career’s most stunning victories" in Calais

Wout van Aert stormed to the victory today at the Tour de France. Despite being one of the main favourites for a bunch sprint, the Belgian supertalent and Jumbo-Visma did not wait for the finale to do damage, and the yellow jersey rode to a memorable solo win.

“That was a perfect opportunity for me to go for the stage win. This stage was important for the battle for green, because it was perhaps too difficult for the real sprinters, while fifty points were to be earned," van Aert said after the finish. Having finished second on all three previous stages, the Belgian did not want to leave it to another sprint where he could be beaten. Instead, Jumbo-Visma threw a thrilling attack up the final hilltop, decimating the peloton and launching the yellow jersey who went clear from every single rider.

"I had to go over the limit and it was a fight for ten kilometres, but the result was great," the 27-year old described. Watching the yellow jersey attack the Tour de France is an unusual sight, however taking into consideration that his lead was not under threat and he had guarantees of a strong result had he ridden conservatively, makes his attack more meaningful. He did not hesitate after gapping Adam Yates near the summit, built a strong gap and arrived at the finish line with eight seconds over the peloton in what was one of the most popular wins of his career.

“The yellow jersey gives me wings. This is certainly one of my career’s most stunning victories. Winning in the yellow jersey is very special. Fortunately, I can start in this beautiful jersey again tomorrow. We did some impressive things as a team today. This was a perfect day for our team," van Aert concluded. His form is undeniably good, but tomorrow the priority will be to protect Jonas Vingegaard and Primoz Roglic who will try to take the yellow jersey that he currently wears later in the race.