Campenaerts discussed date incident with Plugge and reveals: "It did happen"

The former hour record holder was a guest of his Welsh colleague's. The winner of the 18th stage of the Tour this past summer is also known as a vlogger within the peloton, and his videos have been gaining popularity. "Everything has a growth period, including my vlogs. You need big names, and everyone wanted to appear during the last Tour, such as Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert and Tadej Pogacar."

The stage victory in the Tour was an incredible experience for Campenaerts, who is a top-level rider. "But for me, it doesn't get better than this. Winning a stage in the Tour was a dream. I'm not someone who wins often. After that, I went crazy and cried when I saw my child. Talking about it now makes me emotional again. On that day, there was one rider I was watching closely, and that was Michal Kwiatkowski. In the end, I had one shot, and I took it well," Campenaerts shared with Thomas. Both men were in the breakaway that day.

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Thomas and Campenaerts had already spoken in the spring, and back then, the topic was securing a new contract, something the Belgian was worried about. The move to Visma | Lease a Bike only materialized after the Tour de France. "I had a verbal agreement with Lotto, but the sponsors couldn't come to terms, and then you quickly get told you're old with all those young riders around. Although, of course, there's always Geraint Thomas, who is older," the Belgian joked, with Thomas laughing heartily at the comment.

"Due to that uncertainty, I definitely looked at other teams, including INEOS Grenadiers," he admitted. Ultimately, he went for a return to familiar ground, and he looked ahead to his time in yellow and black. "I thought about it a lot. I wanted to be part of the leading team in a grand tour again, to earn that respect. I have my ambitions, but riding for myself isn't necessarily the best option. I've achieved things, but leading from the front suits me best. I can set the pace at the front and excel there, in the hills or even the mountains. I want to achieve those results with a team again."

At his new — and former — team, Campenaerts once did something notable during a stage in the Giro. He rode with "Carlien, date?" written on his chest. It was intended as a joke, but it wasn't well received. "I underestimated its impact. It went viral. The team wasn't happy about it, no. Richard Plugge even told me: we’ll put it in the new contract that such jokes are no longer allowed." Thomas couldn't resist asking if the date ever happened. "Yes, but nothing came of it," the Belgian concluded.