Struggling Van Aert not able to contribute to Visma's time trial success: 'That's hard to answer'
CyclingWednesday, 10 June 2026 at 11:04
Wout van Aert expressed his disappointment after his limited contribution to the team time trial at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. The Belgian was only able to keep up with the Visma | Lease a Bike express train for 9 minutes, though the team still went on to win the time trial.
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It was as an off day for Van Aert, confirmed by the team after the stage. Van Aert suffered a training crash before the French race, and wasn’t in top form heading into his return to the peloton. This became evident in the team time trial, where the Paris-Roubaix winner had to drop out of the line after 9 minutes, completely exhausted.
"I'm standing here with mixed feelings," Van Aert told the Belgian media after his team had won the time trial after all. "It's great to be on the podium with my teammates, but I don't feel like I was able to contribute much."
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Van Aert didn't see time trial off day coming
"On the first climb, the pace was just too fast for me right from the start—there’s not much you can hide in a team time trial," the Belgian admitted honestly. "Of course, you don’t expect this to happen, but we have to stay calm now and keep doing the right things. It’s not exactly fun, though."
The crash—which left Van Aert riding with his limbs bandaged on the first day—set back his preparations for the summer. But: “I had hoped to be further along than I showed today. But every day is a snapshot, and this wasn’t a good one.”
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Will Van Aert be in top form for the Tour de France?
So the assessment was one of mixed feelings. 'When you have to race against such tough competition, it can be disappointing. I wasn’t really able to do my part, and Ben (Tulett, ed.) also got a flat tire on that first descent. The fact that we still managed to set the fastest time says a lot about how strong those guys are.'
However, his legs weren’t in top form a month before the Tour de France. So the question is justified: will Van Aert be 100 percent in July? “That’s hard to answer. Today was a disappointing day, so we’ll see how things develop from here.”
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Visma | Lease a Bike consoles Van Aert
Within Visma | Lease a Bike, there were words of comfort for Van Aert, for example from Matteo Jorgenson, who secured the victory as a general classification rider. “Of course, it’s Wout, so we expect the world from him. But at the end of the day, he’s only human.”
According to the American, we shouldn't underestimate the impact of Van Aert's crash during training. "That fall was pretty bad; he told us what happened. It really did set him back. It'll take some time to heal."
Author: David Bavin-Hobbs - [email protected]
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Latest Comments
- - Christian Kos’s insights are spot on—Denmark’s rolling terrain plus potential wet city corners could make this a race of nerves as much as watts. If SD Worx control the late break attempts and deliver Wiebes clean, it’s hard to bet against her. Two from two would be a statement after the recent drama.velodromevirtuoso112-06-2026
- - Love seeing Wiebes come back swinging after the Giro DQ. She and SD Worx-Protime sound laser-focused, and that sprint train is stacked. The local laps in Copenhagen can get chaotic, so positioning will be everything—especially if it rains. Can’t wait to see her go head-to-head with Balsamo and Kool again.samanthak12-06-2026
- - Van Aert saying this was his last realistic chance before the mountains and then delivering is peak Wout. If he’s already sprinting like this, can’t wait to see what he does on those punchy mountain finishes later in the week.raceready711-06-2026
- - Interesting contrast with stageyesterday’s break survives, today the teams don’t give them an inch. Bahrain, Tudor, and Visma clearly learned their lesson. Reinderink looked lively though — Soudal are getting him in the right moves.tourdeforce911-06-2026
- - Feel a bit bad for INEOS there — Tarling had the legs but that move totally boxed in Godon. Classic chaos in the final kilometre. Still, Hofstetter sneaking into second was impressive given how Visma controlled everything.sprocketspiny11-06-2026
- - What a clinic from Visma | Lease a Bike. Affini’s lead-out was ice-cold and Van Aert finished it off perfectly. You can tell he’s sharpening up for the Tour — picking his moments, staying patient, then boom. Also, shout-out to Armirail for that monster pull with 3 km to go.velodromevirtuoso111-06-2026
- - Quinn Simmons deserved the win—break had real horsepower—but I’m already excited for the next stages. If Visma gets their preferred scenario (smaller break), Wout’s right there for a proper shot. Great read, thanks Gauthier!pedalpowe2910-06-2026
- - The honesty from Wout is refreshing. Asking the team to trust him in the morning, then paying it back with legs in the finale—even if it’s only for 11th—says a lot. Paris-Roubaix winner doesn’t need to prove anything, but this shows the engine is back online.jennifer1910-06-2026
- - That was a textbook “too many in the move” scenario. Pairs up the road and half the peloton missing it—no way you bring that back without full cooperation. Still, Visma did a massive pull and Wout finished it off with the bunch sprint. Encouraging signs.bikebuffj10-06-2026
- - Loved seeing Wout smiling again. Winning the bunch sprint after the TTT struggles shows the form is coming. If he keeps building like this, the next real chance could turn into a win. Break was just stacked today.tourdeforce910-06-2026
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