Arensman was forced to go along despite having "no legs at all" towards Mont Ventoux: "For some reason, no one was there"

Arensman crossed the line completely spent, finishing 12th, more than two minutes behind stage winner Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal Quick-Step). He was particularly annoyed that the responsibility had fallen entirely on him. “I already felt this morning that I had no legs at all, but I saw that a group of about 30 guys got away, and for some reason, we didn’t have anyone there,” Arensman told NOS after the finish.

That meant he had to chase himself. “I rode myself into the ground to close the gap, and this was the best I could do after that. Apparently, my teammates’ legs were even worse. I tried everything, but when Mas countered me, I knew I was no longer racing for the stage win. Once you already have one stage victory, you start thinking more about the days ahead and hope for better legs,” said the winner of Stage 14.

Despite his off day, the climber remains optimistic. “My form is definitely good, I’ve proven that in the past few days. But I just didn’t have the legs today. The fact that I could still get this result makes me proud,” he said. What went wrong? He doesn’t have a clear answer. “At the end of the day, I’m only human. I’ll have good days and bad days. I try to find an explanation, but it is what it is. There are still two really tough mountain stages coming up. My form is there, and if I can get my legs back, I’ll definitely have chances.”