Vingegaard responds to criticism from Evenepoel and Pogacar, Van Aert candid about his feelings in the peloton

Jonas Vingegaard and Wout van Aert, representing Visma | Lease a Bike, spoke to the press on the first rest day of the Tour de France. The Dane, of course, reflected on Sunday's events during the gravel stage around Troyes, while the Belgian discussed how he is currently feeling after a few days of ups and downs.

"I actually feel good," Vingegaard began. "I am gradually getting better as the race progresses and I'm already at a high level, but it's difficult to compare with last year. Maybe I'm just slightly less strong, but that's why it's good that the most challenging parts of this race are towards the end. I hope I can still improve, but we don't know exactly how I will react."

The criticism from Tadej Pogacar and Remco Evenepoel about his racing style didn't bother Vingegaard. "Pogacar is not our only rival, we were just focused on losing as little time as possible. In that goal, which was our tactic, we succeeded. If other people don't understand it, that's their problem. But they might not know exactly how I'm doing right now, even for the next two weeks."

"If I had gone with Remco and Tadej at seventy kilometers from the finish and then got dropped on one of the last stretches, which also happened, I would have lost the Tour," he continued. "So it's not that I don't have guts, I would rather say that I raced smartly. My focus was on being able to follow them, and I succeeded."

Both on and off the bike, the battle between the two major teams seems to have begun. "Every section was a sprint between us and UAE-Team Emirates, and I am fortunate to have someone like Wout by my side. So far, we haven't had a true mountain stage, also because there was a headwind on the Galibier. So it's hard for me to say if Tadej is better than last year. Anything can still happen."

Van Aert notices that he is not always taking risks yet

Van Aert spoke after Vingegaard. "I was satisfied after the stage, firstly because as a team we achieved our goal. But personally too, because I felt good and was able to contribute. After the first weekend, I had confidence, but the past few days have been quite difficult for me. So it was a logical choice to approach it differently."

So far, the Belgian's performance in this Tour has been mixed, and he knows the reason for it. "Maybe I misled myself because the first stage went so well, but after the Galibier stage, I haven't felt great for a few days. I have to accept that. I also notice that I'm sometimes a bit more anxious in the peloton. Especially further from the finish, I try to avoid some risks."

During the Tour, it was reported by national coach Sven Vanthourenhout that Van Aert might leave the Tour earlier, but according to Van Aert himself, that's not the case. "I was a bit surprised to read that because it was never actually discussed with Sven. I always intended to finish the Tour, and I need to do so, so my goal is to ride to Nice. On Wednesday, there's a nice stage in the Massif Central and a few more stages for the stronger sprinters, so hopefully, I can still seize an opportunity somewhere."