Wout van Aert spoke this Friday morning at the press conference organized by his own team Visma | Lease a Bike At the Mercure hotel, near Lille airport. In the aftermath of the presentation of the teams and on the eve of the big departure of the Tour de Francethe Belgian returned to a packed room on his far from ideal approach, he who declared forfeit for Belgian Championships last weekend due to illness after being out of an intense spring, between the classics and the Giro. He then mentioned his personal ambitions, and confirmed that he would not play the green jersey, the priority remaining of course the yellow jersey with Jonas Vingegaard.
VIDEO – The Wout Van Aert press conference before the Tour
“The general classification with Jonas is the top priority, but …”
“I feel in shape again“, first reassured WAva. “It was just a short time, but at a really difficult time. I was sick the day before the national championships and I could not eat on Sunday. It turned out that it was gastroenteritis, and on Monday, I was already going better. I don't feel as strong as last week, but I got back and I hope it won't bother me during the race“. Van Aert will certainly have victories opportunities during the first 10 days, with a course that suits him perfectly, and he hopes to be able to play his card while fulfilling his role with Awesome.
“It will be difficult to do anything solo. The general classification with Jonas is the absolute priority, but the steps that suit me are also important for Jonas, to keep him at the forefront. It will depend. I will have a better chance in the most dynamic steps. Some days will look like classics, with delicate finals the first week. It suits me well. It is a different round from previous years, with fewer mountain stages at the start of the race, but my state of mind remains the same. We always approach the turn with the same main objective“. On the other hand, the green jersey is completely excluded in view of the investment necessary for the Joe every day.”I don't think about it. It is difficult to score points in flat sprints, and combine this with our general classification objective is complex. Aiming green requires a lot of work every day. I have already won it and I enjoyed it, but now I focus on stage victories“, the conclusion Wout van Aert.
