Wout van Aert keeps his word and shares ambitions for potential echelon stage online. Will Van Poppel get the nod again?

Before the start of the eighth stage, Van Aert had said he would not sprint. But in the end, he did. “I had already decided to sprint before the stage,” the Visma | Lease a Bike star confessed later. “Next time, I'll announce it and put it on Twitter,” he added. On Sunday, stage 9 will feature another sprint, so he said: “I'll think about it. Maybe I'll put it on Twitter, although I'm not sure I still know my password.”

That search was clearly successful because Van Aert reported on Twitter (read: X) at 9:25 AM local time on Sunday morning with the promised announcement: “I'm going to sprint today.” Not surprisingly, although the ninth stage may end in a flat and fast finish, a lot of stress is expected due to wind force 3 from the northwest in the last phase. That will be blowing diagonally into the riders' backs, so Visma | Lease a Bike will have to race at the front.

Before the second flat stage in a row, Van Aert explained his tweet in front of Sporza’s cameras. On Saturday, it had been a bluff. “I have to say: it took you a while to figure that out,” he laughed. “We’re not obligated to reveal everything we’re planning, are we?” he added with a smile. So should we believe today’s announcement? “You’ll see soon enough. After yesterday’s interviews, I just couldn’t resist continuing the joke. Things are already serious enough sometimes.”

Four years ago, Van Aert finished eighth in Châteauroux, where the win went to Mark Cavendish. So the finish line isn’t completely unfamiliar for the Belgian, who wrapped up the segment with a telling comment: “It’s tough when you’re here on your own. A lead-out is crucial.”

At Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, too, the question will be whether there will be a sprint and, if so, with whom. On Saturday, it was Danny van Poppel's turn because the intended sprint leader, Jordi Meeus, was dropped early. The Belgian crashed earlier in the first week, and, according to team CEO Ralph Denk (in the podcast Inside Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), he is still suffering from the effects. "He has no skin left on his shoulder, which is extremely painful. He is not sleeping well, and his body is becoming heavier due to the fluid he is retaining. That takes time."