Wout van Aert made no effort to hide his fury at missing out on victory at the end of stage 2 at the Tour de France. He banged his handlebars in frustration, which Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) clearly took the piss out of at the finish - see video below.
Van Aert then threw a bottle to the ground before passing reporters without stopping to speak to them. When he reached the Jumbo Visma team bus, he banged his bike against it. He then decided to leave the finish area before his team; taking a car back to the hotel rather than going on the bus with everyone else.
His Jumbo Visma team leader, and defending Tour champion, Jonas Vingegaard, was forced to explain himself to the waiting media. He was thrust into the role of defending himself against the charge he did not help catch Victor Lafay (Cofidis) so Van Aert could win the stage into San Sébastián, and sounded very tetchy in answering those questions.
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Jumbo Visma directeur, Grischa Niermann, described as "total nonsense" the suggestion Van Aert had worked hard for Vingegaard many times - especially helping him win last year's Tour - but the Dane wouldn't do some work in the final yesterday when his Belgian team mate needed him.
But perhaps the most striking insight into the atmosphere in the Jumbo Visma team - as it tries to balance Vingegaard's and Van Aert's competing goals - came from Wilco Kelderman. He was very blunt in saying Van Aert could have won the stage if Vingegaard had "cooperated".
Van Aert was so frustrated because he made it over the climbs of stages 1 and 2 only to see his stage win chances evaporate because of late attacks. On Saturday it was the Yates brothers - Adam (UAE Team Emirates) and Simon (Jayco AlUla) - who broke away for an identical twins 1-2.
While there was perhaps very little Van Aert and Jumbo Visma could have done about that attack, yesterday's late breakaway was a different matter. When Lafay jumped with 1km to go, Jumbo Visma reacted too slowly and then too weakly. Jumbo Visma's Tiesj Benoot and Wilco Kelderman were in the front group and tried to bring back Lafay.
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However, Lafay was very strong and while they made some inroads, the Frenchman was still well ahead as Van Aert began his final sprint. He couldn't open up that gallop any sooner for fear of tying up as the line approached only for Pogačar to pass him, thus taking the stage win and 10 bonus seconds.
The line came too quickly for Van Aert, who just failed to catch Lafay and had to be content with 2nd place. The question on everyone's lips - especially those in the Belgian media - centred on why Vingegaard didn't come to the front and do a turn to help close down Lafay thus setting up Van Aert for a win.
Vingegaard was asked that very question at the finish area and sounded like a man who resented being quizzed over the issue.
“I just did something. I could have been selfish and rode with Pogačar after the Jaizkibel," he said of having ridden away with his UAE Team Emirates rival on the final climb only to refuse to work with him, ensuring they were caught by the 20-rider remains of the main field.
"I just have to focus on the (overall) standings. I have other goals, but I am also very disappointed that Wout did not win. I don't think it's fair that I'm being held accountable for that.”
By the time Lafay attacked, Benoot and Kelderman - and even Van Aert himself - had already responded to attacks by Pello Bilbao (Bahrain-Victorious), Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) and Emanuel Buchmann (Bora-hansgrohe). It meant their reserves were depleted when Lafay jumped. But that factor perhaps further underlined the value of the contribution Vingegaard could have made.
Wilco Kelderman certainly believed things could have been different if Vingegaard had pitched in: “We need to take a look at this," he told Dutch media outlet NOS. "It could have made a difference if Jonas cooperated. Then we had that victory in our pocket. Unfortunately, that is not the case now."
But Jumbo Visma DS, Niermann, tried to take the focus off his riders and draw it onto himself. "If anyone made a mistake, it's me," he said. "My focus is that Jonas needs to be on Pogačar's wheel to join him in the sprints so he can take as few bonus seconds as possible. When Lafay attacks, it's not his job to take the lead. It was my choice that Tiesj and Wilco tried to close the gap.”
Another member of Jumbo Visma management, Frans Maassen, said while Vingegaard was focused on Pogačar - who was hunting for bonus seconds and whom the team was determined should not win the stage. But he said the Danish rider, in hindsight, "could have done something”.
“But you don’t count on that attack from Lafay in the last kilometre," Maassen added. "This isn’t a PlayStation game. Wout could also have caught Lafay back, but then he would have been beaten by Pogačar in the sprint, and you definitely don’t want that."
