"Wout was still weighing his food"; Coach Heijboer and teammate Benoot share examples of van Aert's resilience

Teammate Tiesj Benoot knew that Van Aert had his sights set on the stage in Paris. “He was determined to win it. You could see that he wasn't looking at the next stage on Veloviewer, but was secretly looking at this final stage,” quotes Sporza. “That he was able to pull it off in a direct duel with Tadej Pogacar... Not many riders have managed that in recent history.”

“Wout really deserves it after all the bad luck and criticism he's had to deal with. It shows what a champion he is to be able to finish like that,” said Benoot. “Many riders threw their nutrition plans out the window on Saturday, but Wout was still weighing his food. He's very resilient. There's not much more to say.”

Coach Mathieu Heijboer was also super happy with Wout's victory. "Every stage win in the Tour is important, but for Wout and us, this is amazing," said the Head of Performance at Visma | Lease a Bike.

"His preparation wasn't ideal. Wout didn't come here in the best shape, and the race was also very difficult," Heijboer knows. “It was very fast every day, and the GC contenders were always going for it. That combination – not being super fit and a super tough Tour – made it very difficult. The best stages for him were in the first week, and in this Tour, you really had to be at the top of your game. The level was so high.”

“But Wout always kept believing, even in the final weekend. You could see in the early stages that he couldn't handle the level, and then racing is very unforgiving. Wout doesn't give up; he keeps working for it. And now he's being rewarded,” he says proudly.