Wout van Aert works for Laporte before sealing Tour of Denmark hat-trick
CyclingFriday, 31 July 2026 at 18:13
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Follow us on GoogleWout van Aert has also won the third stage of the Tour of Denmark. After the Belgian’s commanding victory on the opening day and another success following a photo-finish review on stage 2, Van Aert and Visma | Lease a Bike faced a much tougher challenge in the queen stage. After a soaking-wet race covering more than 202 kilometers from Fredericia to Vejle, he still came away with the victory despite suffering a setback and spending part of the finale working for a teammate.
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“It will be an incredibly hard stage, by far the hardest. And we won’t get much help because everyone will race against us,” Van Aert predicted before the start when speaking to the Belgian media. Visma | Lease a Bike therefore knew it had a serious day of work ahead. The Dutch team did receive some assistance during the opening phase, however, joining forces with Lidl-Trek to chase an early four-rider breakaway
The all-Danish quartet of Sylvester Stokbro, Boas Lysgaard, Andreas Stokbro and Aksel Bech Skot-Hansen built a maximum advantage of two minutes and 35 seconds. Lysgaard collected the maximum number of mountain points on the first two climbs of the day, but he was no longer present when the break reached the third ascent. That left only three riders at the front, with their advantage over the peloton already reduced to around 30 seconds.
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Peloton crash gives breakaway more room after brief wave of attacks
That was hardly surprising because the race never truly settled down inside the peloton. Several riders wanted to attack, particularly once the gap to the breakaway had become manageable. After the third climb of the day, however, the leaders’ advantage increased again to two minutes. On a local loop featuring two ascents of Søvej, the remaining trio therefore still had some room to work with. That situation was expected to change once the race reached the finishing circuit.
With 70 kilometers remaining, the three leaders were one minute ahead of the peloton, but attention quickly shifted to a crash involving at least 12 riders on a slippery corner. Rain had started to fall, making the roads increasingly treacherous. Visma continued to receive help from Lidl-Trek during the chase, while Uno-X Mobility and Unibet Rose Rockets also began placing riders near the front of the peloton.
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Van Aert survives scare heading into finale
Visma | Lease a Bike eventually took control following the crash, fully aware of how dangerous the wet roads had become. Ironically, it was the yellow-and-black team itself that then slid out at the front of the peloton with 55 kilometers remaining. Niklas Behrens lost control and slid toward a curb, while Van Aert and several of his teammates narrowly avoided going down by escaping across the grass.
At the front, Stokbro was left as the sole leader and reached the summit of Søvej for the second time before the peloton arrived. His advantage was still approximately 30 seconds, allowing three riders to bridge across and join him. The four attackers were unable to extend their lead, however, meaning the peloton essentially had the situation under control with three local laps around Vejle still to complete.
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Van Aert attacks on finishing circuit
The four attackers crossed the finish line together at the end of the first lap, but Visma | Lease a Bike raised the pace significantly on the second circuit. Behrens produced an impressive effort that effectively served as a lead-out before Christophe Laporte and Van Aert began applying the pressure themselves. The breakaway was swallowed up almost immediately, after which Van Aert accelerated again and tried to force a decisive selection.
Only Lukas Kubis of Unibet Rose Rockets was initially able to follow the Belgian, and the two riders were willing to continue working together. Laporte was caught in a small group behind them, but that chasing group managed to return as the race entered its final 10 kilometers. The steep section leading toward the finish was not used to press on with another major attack on that occasion, meaning an elite group of 10 riders began the final lap together.
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Van Aert and Laporte contest uphill sprint in Denmark
Van Aert acted as the driving force in the group during the closing kilometers, but the key question was whether he would make an explosive move for the victory himself or whether Visma was setting up Laporte. The Frenchman did not wait to find out and attacked with four kilometers remaining. Once the group came back together, Van Aert tried another acceleration. Neither Visma rider was able to escape, leaving the team facing the prospect of deciding the stage in a reduced uphill sprint.
Van Aert made one final move on the steepest section, approximately one kilometer from the finish. Although his previous efforts had appeared to come to nothing, this acceleration immediately opened a gap, with Kubis once again emerging as his closest challenger. The Slovak champion gritted his teeth and tried to stay in contention, but could only watch as Van Aert maintained his advantage to the line. The Belgian completed a superb hat-trick, winning all three stages held so far at the Tour of Denmark.
Results of Stage 3 of the 2026 Tour of Denmark
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
David Bavin-HobbsChief Editor
David has been working in the sports & cycling industry for 16 years. Covering racing, business and technology, he has worked in communications for cycling companies, teams, and as a journalist. His proudest achievement is winning the first bike race he ever entered. He hasn't won a race since.
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Latest Comments
- I suggest that the contract discussions have been put off not because Del Toro and his representitives expect UAE to sign Seixas, which I consider highly unlikely, but rather because he and his reps don't want to set a ceiling on a new contract until they see the size and length of Seixas' deal. That, or so it seems to me, is the actual reason for Del Toro putting off talks on an extension. Because the idea that Seixas would sign with a team that already has three young world-class GC contenders, including the G.O.A.T., seems far-fetched, if not completely ludicrous.rjb31-07-2026
- No disrespect toward Jonas, but his problem, vis-a-vis Tadej, may not be solvable. Tadej didn't only excell in explosiveness, he also demolished Jonas on a crucial descent. And, lest we forget, Pogi didn't have any trouble winning both the Giro and the Tour last year. Moreover, his explanation regarding poor planning by the Visma team, also strikes me as questionable, given all the experience and expertise in the Visma group. Again, no disrespect toward Jonas, a valid champion and a fine human being.rjb31-07-2026
- The headline mentions a 'menstruation debate,' but the article doesn't mention the debate or even what the issue is. The writer and the editor need to do better.rjb29-07-2026
- - Vamos Tadej! Poetry on wheels. C’est magnifique, bravo campione!robert6528-07-2026
- - Merckx saying no competition feels off—what about Vingegaard in full form, and Roglic on the Giro/Vuelta blocks? There’s competition, just inconsistent due to crashes and form peaks. Still, Tadej is the most versatile since Indurain.breakawaybikerd28-07-2026
- - So Pogacar has five Tours already, but why is that a bigger deal than, say, winning the World Championships? Are the Grand Tours ranked differently?samanthak28-07-2026
- - Brilliant piece. You captured how he meters effort on long climbs and still rips everyone off the wheel. Also love the nod to Tour de l’Avenir—people forget how early he was bossing stages.tourdeforce928-07-2026
- - Slightly sceptical about the “win all three Grand Tours in one season” bit. The calendar density and recovery windows are still brutal, even with modern prep. Would love it, but sounds a tad romantic from Eddy.andrewf28-07-2026
- - Goosebumps reading Hinault and Merckx basically anointing Pogacar. Five Tours by 27 is bonkers. The Alpe d’Huez comparison to Pantani’s time… that’s era-adjusted or raw time? If raw, that’s massive given modern pacing and wind.jeremya28-07-2026
- - Not sure I buy the “Lance had no talent” line. That’s a bit extreme from LeMond. You can condemn the methods without rewriting the guy’s baseline physiology. Still, Pog is the real deal, no asterisks.cadencekingm28-07-2026
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