Who else but Wout Van Aert can boast of being able to win on all grounds?

Even Tadej Pogacar, considered the most complete of leaders, has a weakness: sprints.

Sunday, on the Champs, the Slovenian, white jersey of the Tour de France for the third consecutive year, will not have a say.

Quite the opposite of Van Aert who will only have to put on his sprinter costume for the grand finale.

After having put on that of climber on Thursday and of great lord on Friday, the rider of the Jumbo-Visma has turned into a voracious rider on the roads of Rocamadour.

And the time trial world champion, Filippo Ganna, couldn't do anything about it: long above the fray, the Italian probably thought he was holding the time that would allow him to win his first stage on the Round.

And then Van Aert went through there.

Wolf hunger, end of dream

However, we were almost afraid for Van Aert twice.

The first, when he lost time on Ganna at the last split point.

But it was more about effort management than real decline.

The rest will prove it, the Belgian outclassing the competition in a final powerful ascent.

“It was a very special course with a technical start, Van Aert commented on France TV after the stage.

There were small bumps and downhill parts, it was my plan to save some juice for the last few climbs.

It was tough, but I think it was the right plan.

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A plan almost compromised by… Jonas Vingegaard himself.

This is the second scare.

The green jersey will also concede, with a smile on his lips, to have “been afraid” for the stage victory when he saw his leader – by being grateful – lighting up green at all the checkpoints.

Fortunately for him, Vingegaard tasted the thrill of leaving the road at the end of the course on an overly wide downhill turn, not unlike the fall of Pogacar two days earlier.

The luck of the champion being what it is, the Dane remained seated on his machine.

But the warning immediately pushes him to calm down.

“After that, I said to myself 'well, now in the coming corners, we calm down'.

And I approached the next ones quietly, because I didn't want to fall.

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Van Aert refuses to say if he will ever target the general

This yellow jersey so far so light for the frail shoulders of Vingegaard will therefore have waited for the last kilometers of the time trial to weigh with all its weight.

In the last 500 meters, where the young man cuts his effort - a gesture of a "great champion", will say Van Aert - definitively sealing the fate of the 20th stage and after the line, where he falls in tears into the arms of his loved ones , the feeling of decompression is palpable.

“We are relieved when we get to this stage.

Of course, we won't have to waste time tomorrow, but normally we don't attack the yellow jersey on the last stage.

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If the Tour stops there for the future winner, this is not the case for Wout Van Aert.

Holder of three stage victories, tied with Tadej Pogacar, the Swiss army knife of Jumbo-Visma will have the opportunity to pass in front of the Slovenian on the Champs-Elysées.

One more challenge for the super-combative of the Tour 2022, which one wonders if he does not want to aim for something other than honorary titles on the Tour de France.

"I can't talk about the future right now.

" We understand.

But if the circumstances made the "yes" forbidden, the no was allowed.

However, he preferred to remain silent.

So, when will Van Aert be the leader on the Grande Boucle?

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