Belgian all-rounder Wout Van Aert is expected to play a key role in supporting Visma Leith A bike leader Jonas Vingegaard at the Tour de France, but the all-rounder has a chance to shine himself after Saturday He warns his rivals.

Van Aert, who finished fifth in the national championships in Belgium on Sunday, like Vingegaard, suffered multiple fractures in a fall at Dwars door Hlaanderen this spring.

After being forced to miss the Giro d'Italia, Van Aert returned to racing at the Tour of Norway, finishing third in the final stage.

Van Aert argued that a top-five finish at the Nationals meant nothing at the Tour de France. However, as he explained before the French, if he gets on form in France, he will be 100% team-oriented and will use that role to his advantage to take his chances.

"At one point [during the high altitude training camp], I said I'd rather be in the Tour than not be in it. 'If I'm in good shape, the team will give me a chance and I'll take full advantage of it. If not, I will play an important role in the team. Hopefully my condition will improve during the Tour."

While it remains to be seen if Van Aert will be able to claim his 10th Tour stage win, the Belgian said, "I'm in good shape and my form is getting better. I have some back pain from time to time, but I can train without any limitations"

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"It's been there for a long time and I work on it every day to relieve muscle tension. It's annoying, but I can't complain. I can train normally and make progress."

That progress is evident in his encouraging results in Belgium, but Van Aert refrained from reading too much into a race without foreign rivals. In any case, he chose to wait for a group sprint, but he said he was too far behind in the last kilometer. His efforts to catch up to winners Arnaud De Lier (Lotto Doustony), Jasper Fiipsen (Alpecin-Desseuninck), and the other top Belgians were cost him in the dash to the finish line. He added: "One way or another."

Overall, though, he said, "It was a good leg. I don't think I'm at the top level yet, but it's encouraging to be one of the best again. I'm going to train now, rest up, and then fly to Italy," he said with a smile.

He did not feel that finishing fifth had boosted his confidence.

"The Belgian Championships is one of the most fiercely contested All-Japan Championships, but at the end of the day, it is still the All-Japan Championships."

"The level is much higher on the Tour. I am happy with what I achieved in this race, but this says nothing about the Tour."

His climbing form in the 2022 Tour de France was such that he even managed to drop Tadey Pogachar (UAE Team Emirates) in the Pyrenees two years ago. However, in a recent interview with Het Laatste Nieuws, his Belgian teammate Tiesj Benoot affirmed

that it would still take time for Van Aat to be in as good condition as this time.

Even last week, before the championships, the team management of Visma Reese A Bikes was upbeat about Van Aert's chances at the Tour. Implicitly referring to the situation in the second stage of the 2023 Tour, where Van Aert lost his chance for a stage win because Vingegaard did not help him, Meline Zeman said in an interview, "I hope there will be some controversy for the documentary at the end of the season." She joked.

Zeman then expressed his true opinion on the matter, saying, "Wout called me and Grischa [Niermann, sports director] and said he wants to go to the Tour, he wants to do something special with the team, for the team, i.e., a yellow fight with Jonas.

"So, as in previous years, Wout is Jonas' best helper. So was [former teammate and GC specialist] Primosz Roglic. He really makes a difference as a rider, as a person, and as a leader. A champion like him really deserves it."

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