"We won't do it without Wout, but Wout won't do it without us either": Niermann on Van Aert's 'crucial decisions' (Tour/Olympics)

On the first day of the Dauphine, the Vingegaard issue came up frequently, as Sepp Kuss and Matteo Jorgenson served as team leaders in the Dane's absence. Whether that will be the case in the Tour remains the big question. "I really hope Jonas makes it to the Tour," Kuss said before the start. If he's not there, maybe I can aim for the podium or other goals like winning stages or a jersey. That can also be motivating, but it's mainly good to be ambitious as well as realistic.'

Following Mads Pedersen's victory in the opening stage, this website caught up with Grischa Niermann. The German team director was characteristically realistic when he commented, "There are indeed many doubts about Jonas, but the team morale is still high. Regardless, we have a very strong team. Even without Jonas, should he not participate, we are capable of delivering a strong performance in the Tour," he optimistically added.

The cycling spectacle in Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule - where stage one started and finished - was well over when an article appeared in HLN on Monday morning. That piece then focused on Van Aert. 'We will look at the level of each rider,' team director Frans Maassen stated to the Belgian media, regarding the Tour selection. 'Wout recovered quickly and each day was better. He felt good after Norway. But there is obviously still a lot of work to be done.'

Then the absolute priority for Van Aert, the Olympic time trial, came up. "A lot will also depend on the role Van Aert is given, should he ride the Tour. With or without Vingegaard, that will always be a different role. He's smart, he can judge for himself whether he needs the Tour to achieve his Olympic dream, or whether he'd be better off doing an altitude training in Livigno in July," said Maassen.

From the above words - "he can judge for himself whether he needs the Tour (...) or whether he'd be better off doing an altitude training in July" - one might conclude that Van Aert primarily decides for himself whether or not he participates in the Tour. However, it's a bit more nuanced than that, as became apparent when IDLProCycling.com spoke to Niermann after the end of stage two. "I don't think Wout can decide by himself whether he goes to the Tour, haha! We will determine that as a team, together with Wout. He is indeed currently at altitude preparing himself. We will see how his recovery progresses. He has already raced in Norway, but he is not yet at the level he was before his crash. We need to evaluate all of this carefully before making a decision. We don't do it without Wout, but Wout won't do it without us either!" the always affable German concluded with a clear quote.

Earlier that same Monday, we spoke with 'newcomer' Bart Lemmen. There, too, the Tour de France scenes briefly surfaced in a side conversation. "Of course, I get a bit of it. Naturally, I really hope that Wout and Jonas are ready for the Tour. That would be the best thing for the team. But there's nothing more I can do about it. I just have to make sure I'm always the best version of myself. It’s not something that occupies my every day," the affable former soldier shared. "Do we often discuss it among ourselves? It’s not a dominant topic."

"We're here to perform as well as possible at the Dauphiné, and that’s our main focus," the Dutchman said decisively. "Of course, in the background, Wout and Jonas are working hard with the team staff, but that’s not a constant topic of discussion in our Dauphiné bus. We just have to make do with the resources we have. It’s that simple." His words echoed what Niermann had said earlier: "We've won the Tour for the past two years, no one can take that from us. We definitely want to win again this year and next. But to do that, you have to make do with what you have."