Van Aert's sprint ambitions crushed: "had to really slam the brakes", redemption in stage 4 uncertain

For Visma | Lease a Bike, the main objective on day three of the Tour de France was probably just to get through the stage safely. The killer bees certainly succeeded in this, although Wout van Aert had certainly wanted to get involved in the sprint battles. However, the likable Belgian was held back by a major crash...

It was hectic, that much is certain after the stage between Piacenza and Turin (but which first sprint opportunity in the Tour is not?). While Alpecin-Deceuninck's lead-out man Mathieu van der Poel had two flats (both front and rear, about five kilometers from the finish), Van Aert was ready to engage on behalf of the yellow-black team. That is, until a crash involving top favorite Jasper Philipsen, two kilometers from the finish, shook things up, causing Van Aert and Alexander Kristoff to lose their position and no longer be able to participate in the sprint frenzy.

"I had to brake hard for those crashes," the 29-year-old Fleming told us in a short video communication from the team. At the team bus, Van Aert also emphasized the chaos. "I was right behind the crash. Fortunately, I could avoid it, but I really had to slam the brakes. Then a gap formed in the peloton, and it was immediately game over. I tried to catch up, but after a kilometer, I still wasn't in the slipstream of those other guys. Then you know you won't be able to sprint anymore."

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Van Aert hopes to try again on the Galibier

On day four of La Grande Boucle, a mountain stage awaits, including the infamous and famous Col du Galibier. However, it will be approached from the 'easier' side, followed by a descent to the finish. Something for Van Aert, perhaps? "Normally, that is something that suits me. It will still need to be determined what my role will be. It depends on how the other guys perform in supporting Jonas (Vingegaard, ed.). Based on that, we can decide what I will do. I had especially hoped to sprint here, so that's unfortunate for now. If you can't sprint, it's always a bit frustrating. You gear up to go for a victory. But on the other hand, in a pure sprint, everything really has to go perfectly."

When IDLProCycling.com asked CEO Richard Plugge what exactly happened in that chaotic finale, his response was similar. "There was simply a crash, where Christophe (Laporte, ed.) and Wout weren't involved, but they were there. So, they both had to slam the brakes. When that happens so close to the finish, you're essentially already out of the race. Especially in a sprint stage."