Wout van Aert thanks his inner circle after spectacle on Montmartre in last Tour de France stage

Van Aert had not yet won a stage in this Tour, but nevertheless had ambitious plans for the final stage in the French capital. With teammates Victor Campenaerts and Matteo Jorgenson, he was present in a group of 25 after the first climb up Montmartre and was also there to shake things up on the second climb.

Six remained: Van Aert and Jorgenson, as well as Matej Mohoric (Bahrain Victorious), Matteo Trentin (Tudor), Davide Ballerini (XDS-Astana), and yellow jersey wearer Pogacar. Van Aert kept a close eye on the Slovenian, sticking to his wheel as they turned onto Montmartre for the final time and pulling away in the last few hundred meters of the climb.

The Belgian held on to his lead in the descent and crossed the finish line on the Champs-Elysées solo. The avenue where he also won a bunch sprint in 2021. “It was extraordinary and it feels very extraordinary to win here again, especially with the climb up Montmartre,” were Van Aert’s first words.

With his Visma | Lease a Bike team, he set the final stage alight. "The conditions were tough. The rain made it quite dangerous, but I managed to stay upright. I also have to thank my team for the faith they showed in me. Once again, I received all the support I needed, and without it, I wouldn't have been able to win. We planned to go all out on the final climb, and we succeeded."

Van Aert didn't seem to have the best legs in this Tour, but he still won on day 21. ‘I wanted to win the other 20 stages too. I came close a few times, but like yesterday and a few other days, I didn't feel good,’ said Van Aert. “The hardest part was to keep believing, but I managed to do that thanks to the people around me.” At the finish, he fell into the arms of his wife Sarah and team manager Richard Plugge.

In his flash interview, Van Aert also assessed the performance of the Dutch team. “We wanted to win the yellow jersey, but the strongest rider and the greatest cyclist in the world was the strongest,” he concluded. “We put up a fight against Pogacar, and I'm proud of how we raced. We're not going home empty-handed, with two stage wins, second place in the GC, and the team classification.”

Van Aert elaborated in a conversation with Sporza. "This is quite special. This was a Tour in which I often struggled, and for a long time, it didn't seem to be working out. It's unbelievable that it worked out in the end! I might not realize it until I see the footage myself."

“Of course, Pogacar has had different weeks than I have, but there aren't many people who can say this. I am extremely proud of this achievement,” said the Belgian. “During the first two passages, I didn't feel like I was already at my limit. And I was very well supported by my team. That meant I only had to go all out on the last one. I went full throttle up and down, and only then did I want to look at the situation. It turned out to be the right tactic.”

“It's not easy to live up to your track record. It creates expectations. You're always looking for that victory again, and then it feels good,” Van Aert concluded.