"I rank Almeida and Ayuso just above Jorgenson": Campenaerts previews battle with UAE in Vuelta a España

It was through his efforts that Campenaerts made it into the Vuelta selection. Or at least partly. “On the second rest day of the Tour, there was suddenly uncertainty about the fitness of the eighth rider in the Vuelta, so I said I wanted to go. And there was little opposition to that,” the Belgian recalls.

“The team management did emphasize that I should focus on the rest of the Tour first. But the fact that I spontaneously put myself forward as a candidate influenced their decision,” Campenaerts knows. And so, three weeks after the Tour, he has to compete in the next Grand Tour. “You can't do too much, and that's difficult,” he says about the preparation.

“You can't push yourself to the limit in training, as you do in the run-up to the Tour and certainly in the Dauphiné,” continues Vocsnor. “Last year, I started training hard and fast after the Tour, but in hindsight, my best week of the Vuelta was the week before the start. That's not the intention,” laughs the Belgian.

Nevertheless, Campenaerts thinks he's in good shape. “I definitely feel like I'm at the same level (as in the Tour, ed.). On Monday, I did a simulation of the team time trial behind a moped. My father, behind whose moped I cycled for hundreds of hours, especially during my time as a time trialist, was very impressed after that training session. He said, "I accelerated to 70 km/h and you were right behind me without breaking a sweat.’ He talked about nothing else for half an hour... So I think I'm in good shape."

When asked about his role during the Vuelta a España, the Belgian has a surprising answer. 'I saw an article this week with ten highlights of this Vuelta, in which I was the only normal rider mentioned among all the big names. It said that in the Vuelta I would have to be less strict in my role as a domestique than in the Tour... I don't think that will be the case at all. In the Tour, we sometimes had some freedom because we weren't the biggest favorites. In the Vuelta, that status is undeniable," the Belgian admits.

That will probably have to happen with Jonas Vingegaard. “My ambition to be part of a team that wins the Tour has not yet been realized. But winning the Vuelta is very close to that dream,” says Campenaerts. The Dane is said to be in good shape. “He is very enthusiastic about his condition and is clearly feeling good, because otherwise he wouldn't have sent me messages asking if I was ready and if I had a nice time with my family.”

For Vingegaard and Visma | Lease a Bike, the main competition seems to come from the UAE camp, as is often the case. “With Almeida and Ayuso, UAE has the advantage of being able to play two leaders in the tough mountain stages,” Campenaerts observes. “In terms of talent, Ayuso is close to the big three in the stage races, Pogacar, Vingegaard, and Evenepoel, but in terms of statistics, he is not yet an established name in the big tours.”

“He went to the Giro to win, but dropped out halfway through,” the Belgian continues about the Spanish UAE star. “Jonas is more complete and extremely consistent. Even when he had a punctured lung in the run-up to the Tour, he was still there for three weeks... I do expect a tough battle, because I rate Almeida and Ayuso just slightly above Jorgenson.”