David Vs Goliath: This is what it feels like when you weigh 52 kilos and go toe-to-toe with Wout van Aert

There’s hardly a greater contrast in physique in the Vuelta a España than that between Wout van Aert and Valentin Paret-Peintre. On Friday, David and Goliath faced off in Loja for the stage victory in Stage 13 of the Spanish tour. As expected, the bout was fairly one-sided and went the way of Van Aert. Paret-Peintre was able to accept that.

While Van Aert, at 1.90 meters tall and weighing just under 80 kilograms, is a colossus, Paret-Peintre could only be described as a 'climber'. The Frenchman is 1.78 meters tall but weighs only 52 kilograms. Van Aert, therefore, has a significant amount more body weight, which can certainly be described as an advantage on a flat finish.

That makes it all the more impressive that Paret-Peintre was the only one in the final who could still keep up with the Belgian from Visma | Lease a Bike. “I can’t blame myself for anything. It was a very tough final that didn’t really play to my strengths. I knew that, and I tried to handle it as best I could. I knew Van Aert was the one to follow.”

"When he attacked three kilometers from the finish...," the Frenchman from Soudal Quick-Step pants as he speaks to Eurosport. “It’s been a real struggle from the start of this Vuelta—that’s for sure. I was right on his wheel the whole time. I took a few short turns to show that I wasn’t just going to get carried along and to say, ‘Now it’s your turn again.’”

"I believed in it going into the sprint— you always have to keep believing," said the feisty Paet-Peintre. "I knew I had a good final sprint in me, but hey, it is Wout van Aert, after all. You don't just beat him in a sprint. But anyway, you have to keep believing in it, grit your teeth, and go all out. And well, then he took off like a rocket, so I have no regrets.”

With Friday’s legs still fresh, a new opportunity awaits Paret-Peintre on Saturday, as he has a chance to complete his trilogy of stage wins in Grand Tours. “I did waste some energy today, though we were often enough in the slipstream of the chasing group. So in the end, the energy loss might not be as bad as it seems. We’ll see how my legs feel tomorrow.”