'A dream of mine' - Rickaert awarded combativity prize after breakaway with Van der Poel
Although the Alpecin-Deceuninck duo were caught in the closing kilometres of stage 9, it's a day that Jonas Rickaert will never forget.
Jonas Rickaert earned the combativity prize on stage 9 of the Tour de France after joining fellow teammate Mathieu van der Poel in an epic breakaway attempt that started as soon as the flag dropped and nearly foiled the sprinters to the finish in Châteauroux.
After spending the majority of his career in the service of others, Rickaert seized the opportunity to attack alongside his teammate with the ambition of reaching the Tour de France podium. Although he and Van der Poel were caught in the closing kilometres, with the 31-year-old Belgian rolling across the line in 117th place on the stage, he was awarded the combativity prize for his brilliant efforts, which was accompanied by a trip to the podium.
"It was a dream of mine to one day stand on the Tour podium," Rickaert explained to reporters at the finish in Châteauroux. "It actually started as a bit of a joke, but hey... I had a good companion,"Rickaert added.
Rickaert and Van der Poel posed a major threat to the sprinters throughout the course of stage 9 and were credited by the stage winner Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) for their efforts, on a stage which has been officially recorded as the second fastest in Tour history. Rickaert explained the key to how he and Van der Poel were able to stay in front for so long on a stage that was destined for the sprinters.
"In the beginning, you see Mathieu [Van der Poel] coming, and you think: where will this end? We actually said very little to each other along the way," Rickaert said.
"We agreed yesterday that if it got to that point, we'd each ride at the front for five minutes at a certain wattage. That way, we could really make things difficult for the peloton, and we tried to maintain that until the finish."
Whilst Rickaert was at the centre of the action on Sunday, it's fair to say that the Belgian won't feature on a brutal-looking stage 10 on Bastille Day in the Massif Central, which features well over 4,000 metres of climbing and he was asked if he will pay for his efforts on the difficult route ahead tomorrow.
"I hope not! Ask me again at the top of the first mountain tomorrow," Rickaert said. "But yeah, it'll be tough for everyone, and normally, with my current fitness, I shouldn't be in trouble," he added.
At least the Belgian rider will have the honour of wearing the red race number to signify his efforts as the most combative rider on stage 9.
