🚴🇫🇷 | Meteen na de finish deelt Victor Campenaerts zijn geluk met het thuisfront. De kersverse vader houdt het niet droog. En logisch misschien ook wel. #TDF2024 📺 Koers kijk je via HBO Max
Tears and gratitude: Campenaerts dedicates victory to transfer and 9 weeks (!) at altitude: "Girlfriend gave birth at the base of the climb"
CyclingThursday, 18 July 2024 at 19:06
In an exceptionally heartfelt flash interview, Victor Campenaerts reflected on his stunning victory in the eighteenth stage of the Tour de France. The 32-year-old Belgian from Lotto-Dstny, who had previously won a stage at the Giro d'Italia in 2021, realized his long-held dream of a Tour stage win on Thursday, and the ensuing emotion was palpable.
The eighteenth stage of the Tour de France, tailor-made for breakaway riders, was where Campenaerts and his team had set their sights for months. "Back in January, during the training camp, Victor said he had one dream, and that was to win a Tour stage. And we've done it today, wow," team director Dirk Demol shared with Eurosport. Thanks to recon missions, video preparations, and meticulous planning, Campenaerts entered the day full of confidence. "Maxim Van Gils is back home, but Victor was confident and already on the rest day he felt he could handle this stage. This morning he again mentioned that he has never lost a sprint from a group of two or three."
And he proved it by convincingly beating Michal Kwiatowski and Matteo Vercher in a three-man sprint. "Victor knew Kwiatkowski was the one to watch. There are only strong riders here, but he was the man to watch," Demol revealed. "We came here to win a stage and managed seven top-five finishes in the first few weeks. We were competitive, but if you don't win, no one talks about it. With this win and those other results, we are now very happy."
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Tearful Campenaerts is immensely grateful to his girlfriend
"Winning a Tour stage is every professional's dream," he later said in tears during the post-race interview. "I'm not a neo-pro anymore, I've dreamed of this for so long. I played it smart today, and the team had faith in me, knowing I had good legs. I've been targeting this since December, stage eighteen was the only one where I saw a chance for myself. Maybe I played it a bit dirty, pretending I was struggling to avoid taking too many turns. I had only one shot, followed the moves, and finished it off."
It's an incredible story, considering Campenaerts was not in a good place after the spring season. "After the classics, I had a very tough time because I had a verbal agreement with the team that I would renew my contract. However, I was ignored, and that was very difficult. I went on a long altitude camp, supported by my heavily pregnant girlfriend. I struggled to complete my training schedule there, but I made a mental switch, still have a bright future in cycling, and became a father. That brought me blue skies."
"I started to feel better on the bike and came to the Tour with a highly motivated team," Campenaerts continued, still tearful. "The atmosphere is fantastic, and this is the pinnacle. We will celebrate this tonight. The support I've had from my girlfriend is incredible. She's always there for me, even during nine weeks at altitude. She gave birth at the foot of a climb in Granada, I'm so grateful to her and the team for the extended altitude camp that allowed me to prepare for the Tour. The team had great faith that I would start in good shape here without race kilometers. I'm about to leave, but it's beautiful that we can experience the highlight of my career together. The Tour has three more days, but I can't wait to get home."
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Latest Comments
- Well explained, thanks for the clarity! Daniel DantasDanieldantas20-12-2024
- This is the kind of 'news' that belongs in a cheap tabloid. No matter how boring the offseason gets, nobody wants to read this.
santiagobenites19-12-2024 - I wish we could have seen him try. He'd absolutely get dropped before Pogi overtakes his domestiquesVeganpotter10-12-2024
- Talk is cheap! Next year barring crashes with a healthy team... all well be on track! Some need to talk to make a headline!mootman27-11-2024
- I do not see this event listed on HBO Max Sports Online? Can anyone confirm? Thanks!
MrYuck23-11-2024 - It seemed that he was focusing forward at the time of the crash, after seeing a quick video snippet. But one thing I think he should focus on more intently is breaking a bad habit he has, right now. And that is his constant looking over his shoulders. He does that so much, that I am very sure it is not good for him. Simply watch videos of the greats of CX and you will see very little of that constant looking over their shoulders. That is a behavior that betrays a bit of insecurity on his part. He shouldn't be so concerned, incessantly, about what is over his shoulder. He needn't worry they didn't all disappear. He neds to keep his focus more ahead of himself, and he needs to pay a bit more attention to himself, in a confident manner. It is very frustrating to watch, because it is apparent that he has a lot of potential, and is in much better shape thwan many of his competitors, but the mental game needs to be sharpened more, because that part of strategy plays a huge part in the final results
reemmo022-11-2024 - hahahaha love this shit! I didnt even watched the race, but reading all the gossip articles of how stupid this is!Zatoichi19-11-2024
- Van Aert is really handsome. He can influence me all day! Ditto for Philipsen. Why do you think many of us love cycling?: to see heroic attempts at climbing mountains at high altitudes or to watch speedsters sprint for the finish line or to watch a human being ride at break neck speed down a tricky descent? No, it's all about their lean physiques and muscular legs. (apologies for objectifying these dedicated and amazing athletes).BarwonHeadsUp25-10-2024
- It is unfortunate that the author can't feel the joy that Pogacar brings to the sport and his fans who are legion and I for one feel lucky to have watched such a memorable performance and historic season From the Strada until yesterday with multiple wins in stages in both tours and beyond dominance in the World's. He is proud to wear the Rainbow stripes, shows his leadership to protect his fellows and is as courteous and sportsman-like as the sport allows. He goes early to not have to respond to each attack as all the rest would make him do it. Any racer who could would do the same. Don't "grow tired" of greatness as it is always fleeting.ccrider13-10-2024
- What load of rubbish. Pog is likely a once in a generation cyclist, the like of which hasn't been seen since 'the Cannibal '. How many people were complaining that Merckx was making racing predictable? I remember this year's World RR as one of the most exciting I've watched. Mainly BECAUSE Pog was the favourite and launched what everyone thought (Pog included) was a suicidal attack with 80km to go. For the next 2 hours, I was on the edge of my seat thinking "this is too much, even for Pog". Maybe Zonnefeld prefers the snooze-fest that is a bunch sprint? Like most people I know, I can't watch two hours of the bunch riding very fast... I wait for the final 5km and watch just the sprint. In any event, most races are won from a sprint or lone break. What difference does it make who makes the lone break? Ultimately, the other contenders will have to figure out a way to beat Pog. Even if that means collaboration between teams. It's going to be an exciting few seasons, until the next Pog arrives on the scene. If this is boring, heaven knows what exciting looks like!Michael513-10-2024