'It was all just a rumour' – Van Aert denies he is leaving the Tour de France

Wout van Aert at the Tour de France
Wout van Aert at the Tour de France (Image credit: Getty Images)

Rumours of Wout van Aert’s imminent departure from this Tour de France, it turns out, were greatly exaggerated, but that didn’t stop the whispers from gradually amplifying for much of Tuesday as the race resumed after its first rest day.

Van Aert, so the story went, was going to go all-out to win stage 10 as he was leaving the Tour immediately afterwards to attend the birth of his son. Two and two began to add up to five in earnest once Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek) repeated the rumour for the benefit of the TV2 cameras before the start in Vulcania.

Barry Ryan
Head of Features

Barry Ryan was Head of Features at Cyclingnews. He has covered professional cycling since 2010, reporting from the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and events from Argentina to Japan. His writing has appeared in The Independent, Procycling and Cycling Plus. He is the author of The Ascent: Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation, published by Gill Books.