Superlatives are lacking to evoke Wout van Aert’s Tour de France. If the runners have already dubbed him, like his teammate Vingegaard or the beautiful loser Pogacar, the media also highlighted his XXL performance during this great edition of the Tour. Admittedly, the former Danish fishmonger did get yellow and won the Grande Boucle. But the green jersey was one of the greatest runners on this tour. If not the biggest.
At least, that’s what L’Équipe thinks. “This Monday morning, the post-Tour blues will feed on a paradox: the man of the Tour de France did not win it”begins the famous French newspaper. “Van Aert was the strongest. And not only in Calais, Lausanne or Rocamadour. (…) By going up front as soon as he could, he aroused as much fascination as questions. What he answered with manner. And explaining that he did what he wanted and that he had not left his house for three weeks to hide in a platoon!
A feeling shared by Le Figaro which believes that the Campinois was the most complete. “Sprinter, striker, puncher. From a distance or at the end of a sprint. The Belgian was outstanding in the time trial and in the mountains to unload Pogacar to serve Vingegaard royally. Phenomenal. Van Aert proved he can “To be the most complete rider in the peloton. A future winner of the Tour? In any case, he has shown that he can perform well for three weeks without having a bad day.”
“Without van Aert, Vingegaard does not win the Tour”
For nearly three weeks, the debate will indeed have raged: can the Devil of Herrentals win the Tour de France one day? It is difficult to answer this question today. One thing is certain, however, would never have been able to run for the legendary yellow jersey without the 27-year-old Belgian. “Without Wout van Aert as a luxury teammate, Jonas Vingegaard would not have won the Tour”slice the Dutch of the Algemeen Dagblad. “This claim may be difficult to prove scientifically, but is it necessary?”
According to our colleagues, it is especially mentally that our compatriot impressed. “He can do anything and his head seems almost stronger than his body. Because the Belgian refused to dwell on disappointments. After a second place in the opening time trial in Copenhagen, he finished at second again the following day, this time in the sprint behind Fabio Jakobsen. But he took the yellow jersey, as a reminder. And then his great show could begin in the mountains. The story of van Aert on this edition of the Tour would hardly fit in a book.”
“He defies the laws of cycling”
During certain stages of the Tour de France, the Jumbo rider was pinned several times by some commentators. One thing is certain, there must not be many of them today who still dare to do so. As El Mundo also points out. “Wout van Aert broke all the laws of cycling. Even to the point of making some of his decisions controversial”judges the Spanish daily. “Step after stage he continued to do what suited him best: attacking. As if his power never ran out. As if there were several van Aerts in the race. The best images of the Tour are of him . From the time he gave the shirt to a boy who helped him after a puncture. The time he held on to the Mur de Peguere to wait for his leader.”
But the best compliment will certainly follow. For El Mundo, the Belgian is simply one of the greatest:“He is not a sprinter, neither a time trial runner nor a racer. He is all of these at the same time. An ultra complete cyclist that we haven’t seen since Bernard Hinault and Eddy Merckx.”