Visma coach full of praise for important team time trial win before Tour de France, despite struggling van Aert

It may have been Matteo Jorgenson who produced the fastest time on Tuesday in the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes time trial, but it was Visma | Lease a Bike who took the win. The Dutch team has long been known for 'Samenwinnen' (winning together), and team coach Mathieu Heijboer had plenty of praise for his squad in comments to IDL Pro Cycling and others after the stage.

It was still something of a surprise that Visma | Lease a Bike managed to win Tuesday’s team time trial, especially given the race scenario. Wout van Aert was dropped after only nine kilometres and Ben Tulett later suffered a puncture. “There was a really bad stretch of asphalt there,” Heijboer said. “We had warned for that, but of course you cannot prevent everything. Unfortunately, Ben punctured there on the descent and we had already lost Wout before that.”

Van Aert’s loss was not down to bad luck. “That was simply on full legs.” And the team boss also admits: “Earlier than we expected. We also saw on Monday that he is not yet where he needs to be. It is not the Wout we know yet. He is still building up. I have said before that he is coming from further back.”

The route did not help either. “Going full gas straight from the start up the climb was too much for him. A shame, but tomorrow we go again. I am not worried,” Heijboer said, very much without panic. “It is not as if, when he gets dropped here, he can no longer do anything. We will look day by day at where there are opportunities for Wout. We are using this race and the recovery afterwards to take another step. He will definitely keep improving.”

Back to the time trial itself, about which the team boss was full of glowing praise. “These are the high days for the team, because you really do this as a team. Everyone who experiences this and can win as a team knows what that feels like. Everyone is hugely invested and everyone contributes.”

“It is a very long day for the staff,” Heijboer continued. “This morning they were already here early. Back in March and April, people were already going out to reconnoitre. Videos were made, riders were briefed, a lot of thought went into the strategy... this is something that a number of people have been working on very often. In the end, it reflects on the team. It is not one person who wins, but Visma | Lease a Bike. We are very proud of that.”

So the Dutchman knows all too well what it means for the Tour de France. “It is very important. It is, of course, the dress rehearsal for Barcelona later on, although that is a different course and also different riders. That we can finish it off with a win... I did not expect that,” he admitted.

“I am extremely happy about it, especially with the bad luck we had along the way. Fantastic, really fantastic,” said Heijboer, who had also spoken to Jonas Vingegaard beforehand. “I think he watched it. I spoke to him this morning and told him: go and watch, because then you will know what is waiting for you in Barcelona.”

Author: Gauthier Ribeiro