Winner of the 21st stage of the Tour de France last July, Wout Van Aert recently explained how he made the difference against Tadej Pogacar in Montmartre during a podcast.
While the last few years have been fairly uneven, Wout Van Aert has nevertheless achieved one of the best victories of the year in 2025. Indeed, on July 27, the Belgian won the 21st stage of the Tour de France alone after having performed a very nice number in Montmartre to notably leave Tadej Pogacar behind during the last ascent of rue Lepic.
At the end of the season, the Herentals native recalled this great success during an episode of his team’s podcast. “It was slippery, but not as slippery as you think. I was quite confident on the bike that day, the legs were there, on the last kilometers I took some risks, but I felt like everything was in control”initially recognized the rider from the Visma-Lease a bike team.
Wide tires, Van Aert’s winning “gamble”
“The race is so short, with an easy part at the start, so I took the gamble of putting on wide tires at very low pressure, so as not to lose energy”Van Aert subsequently entrusted “Inside the hive”. “A good choice” which allowed him to make the difference against the Slovenian ogre who dreamed of finishing the “Grande Boucle” in style and shining in Montmartre, he who had missed the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
“I was so absorbed in my effort until the final straight that I only realized then that I was far from the others. I couldn’t hear anything on the radio anymore, so I only realized what was happening in the very last moments.”also explained the Belgian about his superb victory acquired on the Champs-Elysées. From now on, Van Aert will try to find how to beat Mathieu Van der Poel in cyclo-cross, he who has had a string of victories lately.
