In their documentary 'A True Renaissance', Visma | Lease a Bike offers a revealing look into their (preparation for) the Tour de France. The Dutch team faced a tough lead-up to the Tour due to crashes involving Wout van Aert and Jonas Vingegaard in the spring, but ultimately, they were able to look back on the Tour de France with great pride in Nice. The whole story was beautifully captured on film.
The documentary begins with the horrific crashes of the Belgian and Danish riders. An emotional Vingegaard reflects on his crash, saying, "I couldn't breathe, and when I finally could cough, only blood came out. At that moment, it was most important that I stayed alive. With blood in my lungs, I felt like my life was in danger," the Dane said, with tears in his eyes.
Before the first stage, Vingegaard had some doubts about how well he would be able to descend in the peloton, but it turned out to go well. "You descend very well," his teammate Matteo Jorgenson complimented him after the first stage. "But seriously, you really surprised me," added the American. The next day, on the San Luca, it was confirmed that Vingegaard could have a strong Tour. "Jonas is a f*cking legend," Jorgenson shouted through the bus.
Wout van Aert, dubbed the "Belgian Master" by coach Zeeman, also plays a prominent role in the documentary. We see the Belgian's tears after the first Tour stage, his doubts about his form, and the consequences of his crash later in the Tour. "Are you going to win a stage?" his young son sweetly asked him afterward.
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Both men – and the rest of the team – received a truly wonderful message in Tignes from former teammate Nathan Van Hooydonck. "I've been trying to make a video message for you for half an hour, but I can't do it without crying. That's why it became an audio message," Van Hooydonck said, then turned to his close friends.
"I am immensely proud of you for fighting back after those setbacks. To Wout and Jonas: when I saw you crying on the side of the road, I wanted to trade. I wanted to take over your injuries if I could have. I still have a hard time that I had to stop, but when I see you guys on the bike again, it gives me so much energy," the Belgian said, which made Vingegaard and Van Aert a bit emotional.
The race scenario of the most recent Tour is obviously still well in many people's minds, but it is still worth looking at it again from the Visma perspective. Prior to the tour, Zeeman said the Tour didn't really start for them until stage 14, but as we know, it did creep in with the team as time went on that Pogacar was simply better.
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