Van Aert chooses who wins the Tour and even the stages

The 2022 Tour runs according to what Wout van Aert says, commands and orders.

Thomas Osborne
Thomas Osborne
22 July 2022 Friday 10:53
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Van Aert chooses who wins the Tour and even the stages

The 2022 Tour runs according to what Wout van Aert says, commands and orders. He won't win the yellow (it's not his job) but the Belgian has been the most decisive and important rider of the three weeks. It doesn't matter if he's not even in the top 20 overall or if the standings say he's going for an hour and a half. There is no one like him. Van Aert has won two stages and has been second four times, but he saved Vingegaard's furniture on the Arenberg pavé, it was he who knocked down Pogacar with his infernal pace in Hautacam and Cahors, only 24 hours after definitively tilting the race for the Dane from the Jumbo, he decided that it would be Christophe Laporte, his partner, who would have more options than anyone else to raise his arms in a final that stung upwards.

Indeed, you may have guessed it, Laporte won the first stage for France and the fifth for the Dutch Jumbo. "Wout told me: 'Today is for you,'" explained the winner. That's how generous Van Aert is.

The Frenchman, with a good top speed, entered the last five kilometers in third place, behind the leader, from a peloton led by Van Aert. The green jersey (that one does have an owner and he will win it) brought the three escapees Fred Wright, Jasper Stuyven and Alexis Gougeard closer to the group, perfectly recoverable. After sacrificing himself and preventing falls to Vingegaard, the Belgian pulled away. Three in one. He dropped down and rested thinking about the last time trial of the Tour where he and no one else will be the favorite to be the fastest in Rocamadour, over 40 km.

From there, Laporte moved as he pleased. He went after the breakaways and waited at the wheel to break on the last straight and leave all the sprinters who were waiting for a conventional massive arrival and put their teams to work for it with a span of noses.

A great jumbo ensemble strategy that would have been impossible without Van Aert, a luxury locomotive. As the Astruds would sing: There is a man on Tour who does it all. In the Tour there is a man who does it all.