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Wout van Aert Wins 11th Stage in the Tour de France

Wout van Aert conquered Mont Ventoux and left his opponents, including world-class climbers, behind in the dust on Stage 11 of the 2021 Tour de France.

Van Aert overcame near-misses and disappointment of this year’s tour during the 11th stage in the Tour de France, leaving his fellow breakaway partners 33 km from the finish line.

With this victory, Van Aert is the second Belgian to win the Ventoux mountain stage since 1980, more than 4 decades ago.

Here’s Van Aert’s attack:

When pressed for a response to his victory, Van Aert was at a “loss for words”. The best description he could give was that this “may be my best victory ever.”

“It’s one of the most iconic climbs in the world and it’s maybe my best victory ever.”

– Wout van Aert after winning the 11th stage in the Tour de France.

According to Sporza. “Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) didn’t need a time trial or bunch sprint to make the victory gesture in this Tour de France: the Belgian champion was lord and master in the very tough mountain stage with two climbs of Mont Ventoux. Van Aert abandoned his fellow refugees 33 kilometers from the finish.” (Translated, full story here)

Watch the highlights here:

And see his celebration with fans:

How The World Reacted

Wout van Aert’s victory on the 11th was a phenomenal victory. Here’s how the world reacted.

“I immediately thought: Oops, the Wout is not an ordinary one.” These are the words of Mollema about the mythical ride over the Mont Ventoux (translated).

“Not sure if I wanted to experience this Mt Ventoux twice on 1 day. Thanks Wout van Aert for cruising up in front to leave us in time! What a legend you are! Congrats for that impressive performance”

– Andre Greipel

“Congrats Wout van Aert what a stage win. Today the team saved me with all the water bottles, thanks guys”

– Tadej Pogačar

“King of the Mont Ventoux, Wout van Aert!!! #TDF2021”

– Christophe Diels

“Wout van Aert wins VENTOUX!!! Big party”

– Daniel Heijne

“My guy on another level”

– sticky_bidons

“Getting better everyday. Well done!”

– leon_van_bon

“What a fighter, what a winner! King of the Mont Ventoux ⛰️⁣⁣⁠⁠. What resilience and character shown by him and the team. Such a well-deserved win for him and the embattled”

– agu_cc