The polemics about contrasting ambitions for Wout van Aert and Jonas Vingegaard in the 2023 Tour de France were blown away on the first mountain stage to Laruns as the two riders and their Jumbo-Visma teammates combined to put Tadej Pogačar and his UAE Team Emirates squad under pressure.
In a series of circumstances like chess moves that favoured the brave, Van Aert went in the 37-rider attack along with Tiesj Benoot and Christophe Laporte.
