‘Time is running out’ – Why is Wout van Aert struggling to win at the Tour de France in 2023?

“Time is running out” for Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) to win a stage at the 2023 Tour de France, according to Eurosport expert Dan Lloyd, who is still convinced the Belgian can deliver in the second half of the race.

So why haven’t things clicked in 2023?

“It’s very hard to put your finger on it,” began Lloyd on The Breakaway.

“Looking at some of the climbing stages at the very beginning of the Tour de France, he didn’t seem quite as comfortable or robotic as he had been 12 months ago, where he could seemingly do anything that he wanted.

“It’s just not quite clicked for him yet and when it doesn’t click you make hesitations, like the sprint today, because it is split-second decisions. And generally when things are going right, those decisions are the correct ones. And when they’re not going so well, you can hesitate a bit too long and it’s an incorrect decision. So I’m sure it will come right for him at some point.”

Pressed by host Orla Chennaoui on whether he genuinely believed Van Aert would win a stage, Lloyd continued: “He’s not been concentrating on the sprints this year, he’s been trying to select the stages that he feels suit him, and even then it hasn’t come off just yet.

“But Wout van Aert is Wout van Aert. He’s such a world-class rider that I’m pretty sure he’ll still get a stage win at some point along the line. But time is running out.”

In 2021, Van Aert became just the third rider in history to win a time trial, mountain stage and sprint at the same Tour, while in 2022 he was the rider of the race with a string of devastating attacks and selfless teamwork helping deliver six stage wins for Jumbo – including three for himself and the green jersey.

Robbie McEwen, a 12-time sprint stage winner at the race, wondered if Van Aert was overthinking things.

“Jasper is in the winning mode, he’s not having to think about what he’s doing. He’s just doing it,” said McEwen.

“Whereas it seems Wout is thinking ‘what’s my next move’ and when you take the time to think about it you make a mistake or somebody else has already done something to change the situation.

“He’s just not quite ahead of the curve, whereas Jasper is way ahead of the curve.”

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