Tour de France leader Wout van Aert ready for ‘really demanding’ stages
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The cobbles of phase 5 loom huge on the agenda after the Tour de France returned home from a impressive Grand Depart in Denmark.
Riders loved an unusually early relaxation working day on Monday – bundled to enable for the transfer back again to northern France – with riders flying into Lille pursuing Sunday’s phase to Sonderborg.
Even though a hilly race involving Dunkerque and Calais is up coming up on Tuesday, it is Wednesday’s stage involving Lille and Arenberg which is by now on the minds of a number of riders.
“Wednesday will be a massive day on the cobbles,” reported the Ineos Grenadiers’ Geraint Thomas. “We’ve acquired to relaxation up, take pleasure in the rest working day and then get back again into it.
“You form of get into the rhythm of (the race), you want to maintain heading so you don’t want to have to travel and have this relaxation working day.”
Wednesday’s phase will acquire riders into territory extra generally connected with Paris-Roubaix and the brutal cobbles which make the ‘Hell of the North’ just one of the most feared races on the calendar.
The Tour will steer distinct of the most famous sectors from that race and request out new territory, finishing in Arenberg but bypassing its eponymous trench, but that only adds an aspect of the unidentified.
For the likes of Thomas, Tadej Pogacar and Primoz Roglic – individuals with ambitions of carrying yellow in Paris in 3 weeks’ time – it is a working day to endure and survive, the place no profitable moves can be built but the Tour could absolutely be missing to damage or incident.
But for the guy at present in yellow, Wout van Aert, it is a day when he could properly consider phase honours, regarded one particular of the key favourites for the working day along with Mathieu Van der Poel.
“I assume what’s coming will be seriously demanding following the relaxation working day,” the Belgian reported. “Every phase has tough sections, anything particular like the cobbles. I’m searching ahead to it.”
Van Aert is on double responsibility in this year’s Tour, targeting the green jersey in the factors classification although operating to help Jumbo-Visma staff-mate Roglic unseat UAE Workforce Emirates’ two-time defending champion Pogacar in the fight for yellow.
The point Van Aert dons yellow soon after 3 days, when also leading the factors classification, is down to him ending second in all a few phases so considerably – one thing he claimed was “not humorous anymore”.
“I have to be seriously pleased with this position,” he included. “I dreamed for a very long time to have on the yellow jersey and we are undertaking great points for green as effectively which has been a significant intention all year.
“Everything is excellent but I like to gain races so if I occur close like I did in the very last pair of days from time to time it is with mixed inner thoughts.”
Van Aert must view his step in the coming days immediately after he was fined for littering on Sunday. A next offence would carry a one particular-moment penalty.
Denmark addressed the Tour to impressive surroundings and big crowds above the weekend, but riders landed in northern France to master of the horrific shooting in Copenhagen which remaining at least a few people dead on Sunday.
Tour organisers ASO issued a assertion expressing “sympathy and compassion” for the victims.
“The Tour is extremely stunned and saddened to listen to of what has occurred in Copenhagen,” the assertion additional.
“The people today of Copenhagen experienced presented the peloton a person of the best welcomes in the sport’s background, forging deep bonds with all its followers. The overall caravan of the Tour de France sends its sincerest condolences to the victims and their family members.”
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