Tour: Van Aert's showdown in Calais wins 4 / a stage

The arrival of the Tour in France after the three opening stages in Denmark deserved special emphasis.

The yellow jersey was in charge of it, Wout van Aert.

The Belgian was the protagonist of a final that seemed set for a group sprint, but with a tactic studied at the table, the work of the Jumbo Visma and above all her excellent form surprised everyone, going to win alone in Calais and gaining even further advantage in the standings.

After finishing second in each of the three Danish stages, Van Aert had to work hard to obliterate those minor disappointments, triumphing in the 171.5km leg between Dunquerque and Calais.

After 160 kilometers, the classic breakaway of the day reabsorbed, the Belgian team and Adam Yates' Ineos launched a violent attack on a short and steep climb.

Van Aert climbed the hill first and launched an infinite stretch of eight kilometers to the finish line, covering them at an average of over 50 per hour, like in a time trial.

Surprised and not very organized, the group tried to recover but remained at eight seconds at the finish, allowing the Belgian to get up on the pedals and spread his arms making the gesture of the albatross.

Behind him, Alpecin sprinter Jasper Philipsen made him the sprint of the group and cheered thinking he was the winner.

"This is an exceptional victory for me, something new, a very special moment",

Van Aert said that in the general classification he precedes Yves Lampaert by 25 seconds and by 32 the great favorite, Tadej Pogacar, who wears the white jersey of the best young player, but who is already aiming to snatch the yellow from the Belgian tomorrow.

The stage, 157km from Lille to Arenberg, also includes 20km of cobbled streets and could be crucial for the overall standings.