The Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes has presented a brutal route, one with a few opportunities for Wout Van Aert who returns to racing two months after his Paris-Roubaix victory. The Team Visma | Lease a Bike rider did not show his best form on the opening day, but there is no urgency for the Dutch team.
Van Aert far from his best level
On the opening stage, with bandages from a small training crash, the Belgian was one of the first to lose contact with the peloton and to cross the finish line in Saint-Ismier.
“I did not have a great feeling. I tried to help the team a little, among other things by positioning Matteo [Jorgenson], and after that I did not push on,” Van Aert said in words to Het Laatste Nieuws. “I had hoped for a slightly better feeling, but it is not something I am worried about.”
He focused on supporting the team’s overall ambitions however, led by Matteo Jorgenson but also with Ben Tulett and Jorgen Nordhagen as outsiders. The finished finished the stage strong with Bruno Armirail also present amongst the first in the results sheet.
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