Wout van Aert ‘must be getting angry’ after 2-2-2 start to Tour de France 2022, says Adam Blythe

Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) may be in the yellow jersey after three stages at the Tour de France, but Adam Blythe reckons “he must be getting angry” after a hat-trick of runner-up finishes. The Belgian was denied by the slimmest of margins on Stage 3 as Dylan Groenewegen (BikeExchange–Jayco) took a memorable victory on the final outing of Denmark’s Grand Depart. Ad/> At some point in each of the opening three stages of the 2022 Tour, Van Aert has looked the obvious winner.

He soared to the top of the leaderboard in a rain-soaked time trial in Copenhagen in Stage 1, only to be knocked off by Yves Lampaert (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl). Tour de FranceGroenewegen sneaks Stage 3 as Van Aert is bridesmaid again5 HOURS AGO He led the sprint on Stage 2 after a nervy and blustery bridge crossing, but was pipped by Fabio Jakobsen (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl). And then on Sunday, as he focused his attention on staying clear of Peter Sagan (TotalEnergies), Groenewegen zipped up the other side and edged a photo finish by a hair’s breadth.

Van Aert can console himself with the yellow jersey, which he seized on Saturday. He actually increased his lead in the overall standings to seven seconds over Lampaert with bonuses, but Blythe believes that will be scant reward as the Belgian rider targets the sprinter’s green jersey. “He must be getting angry,” said Blythe on The Breakaway.