Wout van Aert was welcomed as “a rockstarby a crowd of supporters Tuesday evening in Roeselare (north) during a criterium, two days after the end of the Tour de France of which he was one of the great animators. According to images from Belgian television Sporza, several thousand fans gathered in the streets of the Flemish city to give a standing ovation to the one who took the green jersey at the end of the Grande Boucle, who arrived in the early evening by helicopter. after taking part in an event organized by his sponsors in the Netherlands.
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«I feel like a real rock star. All this attention, it’s not usual“, declared the Belgian formation Jumbo to the press. “During the Tour, you don’t really realize what is happening outside. There, it is clear, he added in the middle of supporters begging for autographs and selfies. I find it very important to involve my fans in everything I do. That’s why I want to do criteriums.»
Designated “super combativeof the Tour, winner of three stages and wearing the yellow jersey for four consecutive days, Wout van Aert finished in second position in the Roeselare criterium, beaten in the sprint by his compatriot Yves Lampaert, who had also beaten him in the first stage. of the Grande Boucle three weeks ago in Denmark. Briton Tom Pidcock, also a stage winner on the Tour, completed the podium. The 27-year-old rider will take part in another criterium on Thursday in Herentals, his hometown, before flying to Spain, where he will compete in the Clasica San Sebastian on Saturday.