'Freed' Oliver Naesen dreams of Tour de France stage victory

AG2R La Mondiale’s Oliver Naesen pushes the pace on stage 3 of the 2020 Tour de Wallonie
AG2R La Mondiale’s Oliver Naesen pushes the pace on stage 3 of the 2020 Tour de Wallonie (Image credit: Getty Images Sport)

Oliver Naesen has told the Belgian media that his AG2R La Mondiale team's slightly more relaxed approach to this year's Tour de France – with Romain Bardet saying that he's targeting stage wins in the mountains, rather than a high overall finish – will at times free him up to try to win a stage for himself.

"Romain is aiming less for the overall ranking. Fourth place no longer interests him; he would rather win a stage," Naesen said on Thursday, speaking to reporters ahead of the start of the race, according to Het Laatste Nieuws. "That also means less stress for us. In the past, every second counted – it was constant paying attention and being alert."

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