‘I need the Tour de France to find myself again’ – Wout van Aert surprised at suggestions of early exit

Wout van Aert insisted we’ll see him in Nice on the final day of the Tour de France, with the Belgian indicating he needed every day of the race in order to haul himself back into the sort of form needed to be competitive at the Olympic Games. 

Speaking at a Visma-Lease a Bike press conference on the first rest day of the Tour de France on Monday, Van Aert refuted the suggestion from Belgium’s national selector, Sven Vanthourenhout, that he might beat an early retreat for the Tour in order to prepare for Paris.