Van Hooydonck on Van Aert: "I think Wout wants to go to the Tour, but I wonder if it's the right choice"

We are now just over three weeks away from the start of the Tour de France, but it still seems like a race against time at Visma | Lease a Bike for team leaders Jonas Vingegaard and Wout van Aert. Former teammate Nathan Van Hooydonck, who knows both riders well, provided an update in the Rode Lantaarn podcast.

Van Hooydonck still keeps in touch with the men he describes as his 'friends.' "I've definitely spoken to them. They're doing okay. Wout has just arrived in Tignes, where Jonas is too. They're taking it day by day. How are things going, how is the recovery? I haven't spoken to Wout since the Tour of Norway, but he might still be feeling some effects."

What now? "They're going to take it day by day and then make the right choice. Even though they are the highest-paid riders on the team and you expect them to perform, it's still better to use them optimally rather than half-heartedly. I think Wout does want to go to the Tour, but I wonder if it's the right choice. Because, of course, he had planned his schedule around the Olympics," the Belgian explains.

"Although I think it can go hand in hand," Van Hooydonck keeps the discussion open. A key factor will be Vingegaard's condition. "It will also depend on whether and how Jonas goes to the Tour. If Jonas is in last year's condition, then it's hard for him to ride the Tour with the brakes on."

"But that's also how Wout is: he's a really loyal friend to Jonas. If he feels that Jonas needs him, then he'll be there," Van Hooydonck knows.