Van Aert hits out at late change to mountain TT time limit
Most in the peloton were grateful for the generous 40% time limit imposed on the stage 13 time trial to Peyragudes at the Tour de France, but the timing of the decision was not welcomed by Wout van Aert.
The late call to extend the time limit on stage 13 of the Tour de France to Peyragudes was met with relief by most of the peloton, but Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike) was a dissenting voice on the matter.
Van Aert’s grievance was not so much with the extension of the time limit itself but with the timing of the decision. The commissaires announced on Friday morning that the time limit for the mountain time trial had been extended from 33% to 40%.
That meant riders could finish up to 9:12 down on Tadej Pogačar’s winning time. Six riders, including Tim Merlier (Soudal-QuickStep) and Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty) would have been eliminated had the original 33% limit been imposed.
“The time trial had been set like this for months, with a time limit of 33%. And suddenly, ten minutes before the start, this limit was raised to 40%,” Van Aert told Het Laatste Nieuws. “I find that really disappointing, especially since the conditions haven’t really changed.”
The course hadn’t changed and the weather wasn’t an issue, but perhaps Pogačar’s dominant display at Hautacam on stage 12 had influenced the decision. There was a risk that a similar showing at Peyragudes could have eliminated a clutch of sprinters – though green jersey Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) finished safely inside the original 33% limit.
According to Het Laatste Nieuws, his Lidl-Trek squad denied being among the teams who had lobbied for an extension to the time limit.
“I hope I don’t offend many sprinters with this statement, because I would be disappointed if the riders had to go home, but the jury should have thought about it earlier,” Van Aert said. “It should have been announced in advance and clearly stated.”
Van Aert’s thoughts were echoed by Visma teammate Victor Campenaerts. “I'd never ridden a time trial with a 33% time limit before, so it was already a bit steep. Why raise it even higher?” he said. “This is the Tour, after all, the highest level of cycling. Eventually they’ll say: ‘If you’re not eligible for the overall or stage win in such a race, simply signing the start sheet is enough and you can start the next day.”
Merlier, meanwhile, was grateful for the generous time limit, though he added that he might have pushed harder had it been required. “Maybe I would have had a bit more grit and tried to ride faster,” he said. “I certainly hope this was my only bad day.”
All 171 riders finished inside the time limit, though Bryan Coquard (Cofidis) later confirmed that the mountain time trial would be the final act of his Tour. The Frenchman broke a finger earlier in the week and he will not start on stage 14.
