Belgian national coach drops subtle hint toward Wout van Aert, who (so far) isn’t taking the bait

The Belgian pulled away from yellow jersey Tadej Pogacar on Montmartre, and that was enough for Pauwels to post on Instagram a comparison with the Kimihurura climb, which will feature prominently in the local stage of the World Championships in Kigali later this year. “The Montmartre is 1.2 kilometers long, with an average gradient of 5.9 percent and cobblestones, while the Kimihurura is 1.1 kilometers long, with a gradient of 5.9 percent and cobblestones,” the national coach explained.

Van Aert was asked about this by Sporza after his press conference in Paris, but did not immediately respond. “I've been away from home a lot this year, so now I'm mainly looking forward to being back in the Kempen. But I'm in close contact with the national coach,” said the Belgian, who rode cyclo-cross in the winter, the classics in the spring, the Giro and the Tour.

It is not yet known when Van Aert will return to competition. He announced at the beginning of this year that his participation in the World Championships in Rwanda would depend on his mental fatigue. “I have agreed with Wout that we will see after this Tour whether he feels up to it. For him, it's more a question of whether he still has the energy for it. Rwanda is not exactly around the corner, and he has already had a tough build-up this year,” Pauwels said earlier in Vivé le Velo.

“There was that crash in the Vuelta, then a build-up in the winter with cyclo-cross, the spring, the Giro, the Tour, and of course he wants to be able to cycle well for 12 months straight, which means he wants to have a good winter. It's not certain that he'll be joining us, but of course I'd love to have him there,” said the national coach.