Wout van Aert arrived in the peaceful press room while waiting for Jonas Vingegaard to finish his traditional media exercise of the penultimate stage where the yellow jersey is presented to the press.
But the green jersey and triple stage winner was quickly annoyed at the bend of a question evoking suspicions of doping.
Beneath his long eyebrows, the Belgian's gaze suddenly hardened.
"I don't even want to answer, it's a shitty question," he snaps.
As soon as we win, we are asked.
What does it mean ?
We are good, so we have to defend ourselves?
We worked very hard to get there, the bike has changed.
It's not fun to answer these kinds of questions.
We do all the checks, at any time of the year, they can come and test us at home.
Look at the team, how we have progressed.
We don't come from nowhere."
He also, before leaving the room, let the person who had questioned him know how much he had not appreciated.
A few moments earlier, however, van Aert had not realized it because he was typing text messages on his mobile while waiting for his turn, the same subject had been raised with the winner of the Tour, Jonas Vingegaard.
“Over the past two years, Pogacar has been the subject of many questions about doping.
Not you this year.
Why should we believe you too?
thus questioned a journalist.
The Dane was less annoyed than his teammate and responded calmly.
“Because we are clean.
I can guarantee it, tell you all.
Nobody does anything illegal.
If we were so good it's because we did a great preparation.
We do courses at altitude and we go very far during these courses.
We do our best in terms of equipment, food… That's why you have to trust us.
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