Wout van Aert deeply disappointed after weak and disappointing time trial, remains confident for upcoming stages

Let's not beat around the bush. Wout van Aert did not come into his own in the first time trial of the Tour de France on Friday. The Belgian riding for Visma | Lease a Bike already noticed along the way that it wasn’t going to happen, but, realistic as he is, he shared his story afterward.

"I had no feeling. The start went well, but the first uphill sections were already tough. I don’t think I rode a particularly good time," he judged immediately after finishing. "I also noticed from the coaching that I wasn’t really competing for the win. Then you might take slightly fewer risks," he told the gathered press afterward.

But why then, because of a fast start? "Maybe. That was the plan because the focus was on the first part. Maybe I rode too hard in the first section," he said, searching for reasons that might explain his off day. "I didn’t know the times, but at the second checkpoint, I saw a red box. That means you are certainly not in the lead."

Van Aert won't let himself be knocked off course: put his name down for the upcoming Tour stages!

"These are not the answers I wanted. The feeling just wasn’t there. I felt pretty quickly that I couldn’t keep the pace I wanted to maintain. From that moment onwards, you are suffering more than usual, so the result is a good reflection of how my legs feel at the moment," said the honest Belgian in his post-finish analysis.

"It is, of course, relative," he further explained. "I just couldn’t accelerate over the small hills, and in a time trial like this, that’s the key to success. For the rest of the Tour, it will also change little. I will give all I've got again on Saturday. I will aim for a good result. This weekend is very important for me and the team, especially Sunday," he referred to the gravel stage.

"Unfortunately, I am not as consistent as I normally am, but there have also been good days in this Tour. We just have to keep up the courage," he noted with an eye on the important weeks to come.

In just under three weeks, the Olympic time trial is on the schedule. "There is no time trial in this Tour that really resembles the one in Paris. This one maybe a little more than the one in Nice. I gave it my all, but I hope for better legs at the Olympics," said Van Aert.

Does the Dwars door Vlaanderen crash still weigh on Van Aert’s fluctuating performance?

Van Aert was also asked about his crash on day three of La Grande Boucle as a possible cause for his highly fluctuating performances. "Could this still be because of my crash earlier in the Tour? I don’t know, although I do feel that I am currently alternating between very strong days and weaker ones," acknowledged the versatile rider. "The consistency I used to have seems a bit lost. Maybe that’s also logical, considering how hard I crashed in March," he referred to his crash in Dwars door Vlaanderen. "Nonetheless, I remain very motivated."

"So far, it has been a very tough Tour," concluded Van Aert. "But that is always the case. It’s a unique race in that respect. The first week was difficult, especially because I fell at the beginning. However, it has not cost me my confidence. I expect the best legs are still to come. I am convinced of that. I will have to take it day by day."