Simon Yates described Wout van Aert as the 'ultimate teammate' after the Belgian helped him blow up the 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Giro d'Italia and take the 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:maglia rosa in Sestriere. They and the whole 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Visma-Lease a Bike team will celebrate a somewhat unexpected and even more e♋motional victory in 🦩Rome on Sunday.
168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Van Aert is one of the most tꦺalented riders in the peloton, able to do almost everything, including playing a vital team role on any terrain.
He has gradually rebuilt his form during the Gro after his disappointing Spring Classics campaign. 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:He won the gravel stage to Siena and was also second to Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) on stage 1 to Ti🙈rana and stage 13 to Vicenza. In the final week of the Giro, Van Aert joined the attacks three times, either to try and win for himself or be there for 💖Yates.
He was a superb 'GC Van Aert' on Saturday, just as he has been for teammate Jonas Vingegaard at the 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Tour de France in recent years.
Van Aert jumped across to the break of the day, perhaps surprising UAE Team Emirates-XRG who did not opt for a similar tactic. He then produced a huge effort to stay clear of the GC riders over the Colle delle Finestre to ꧟be there for Yates after he attac🌸ked on the climb.
They joined forces for the descent and valley road to Sestriere, Van Aert's long turn on the front helping Yates gain alm🦂ost five minutes on Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasꦦyPost) as they squabbled, sat up and threw away their chances of overall victory.
“Wout, you are the game changer!” Visma-Lease a Bike directeur sportif Marc Reef shouted to him as Van Aert came to a virtual stop after his hugeꦯ effort.
"It's not the first time that he shows himself to be one of the b🍸est teammates in the world, and 💟at the same time a huge champion. I am incredibly grateful to him and the rest of the team," Yates said, after Van Aert and other teammates stopped in the podium area to hug him and celebrate executing the perfect race strategy.
Van Aert eventually rode into𒁃 Sestriere w🌺ith a huge smile on his face.
"It's incredible," Va🤪n Aert said at the finish, as happy and proud as if he had won himself.
"When I was in 𒉰the breakaway and we got a lot of time on the p🥃eloton, I knew I had a small chance of surviving the Finestre. I played a role but this is an achievement by the entire team.
"I can’t e🐠xplain how deep I went to survive that🦩 climb. Halfway up I knew I could do it, but it was the hardest moment of the day.
"What a brave effort from Simon to go all in fr📖om that far out. I love it when people don't race for a place of honour. 'Ch🀅apeau' to him."
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