Van Aert talks back trouble, Tour de France role, and courage involved in sprinting: "If I feel good, I will get opportunities"

Wout van Aert is back, now even more so than during his comeback in the Tour of Norway in May. On Sunday, the Belgian of Visma | Lease a Bike started in the Belgian National Road Championships and spoke briefly to VTM while in the mixed zone. Naturally, the big question was: how is he doing?

Van Aert was recently selected for the Tour de France, for which the expectations – just like for Jonas Vingegaard – are already being tempered. The all-rounder had a hard fall in March during Dwars door Vlaanderen and thus was particularly happy to be back to racing on Sunday morning. "The restart in Norway was nice, but racing in Belgium is still something else. In the meantime, I have also been able to work more on my form, so I am glad to be here at the start."

When asked how he is doing, he gave an honest answer, in line with remarks from his teammate Tiesj Benoot: "I feel good and my form is much better. I can train without limits, although I sometimes still have some back pain. It has been lingering for a long time and we are working every day to relieve the muscle tension. It's annoying, but I can't complain. I can train normally and have been able to make progress."

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Van Aert hints at prominent role in the Tour de France

The steps he took during altitude training were so encouraging that Van Aert will start in the Tour de France on June 29. "At one point, I indicated that I'd rather be there than not, and the role I'll play will depend on how my legs feel," he says on the matter. "If I feel good, I will get opportunities from the team and I will seize them. Otherwise, I will play an important role in the team, where I hope to improve during the Tour."

So, count Van Aert in for several Tour stages, and don't rule out the bunch sprints right away either. When asked if he dares to join a potential sprint at the Belgian Championships, Van Aert was clear: "Of course I will sprint. It's a very nice jersey and we are at the start here to compete. I hope the sprinting will be safe, and if I'm there, I will take my chance."