Wout van Aert mathematically sealed victory in the points classification of the Tour de France with four-and-a-half stages to spare, after he took second place in the intermediate sprint in on stage 17.
The Jumbo-Visma rider placed second behind his compatriot Jasper Philipsen in the early sprint at La Barthe-de-Neste, bringing his running tally of points to 399.
That give him an unassailable lead of 217 points over Tadej Pogacar. Provided Van Aert makes it safely to Paris, he will become the first Belgian winner of the points classification since Tom Boonen in 2007.
Van Aert has led the points classification since stage 2 in Nyborg, when he also moved into the maillot jaune. The Belgian held the race lead for five stages before swapping yellow for green in Longwy.
In yet another all-action Tour, Van Aert has helped himself to two stage wins, at Calais and Lausanne, as well as serving as race leader Jonas Vingegaard’s most valuable domestique. He has also animated the race with a series of long-range attacks, including a remarkable onslaught on the very day he lost the yellow jersey at Longwy.
On Tuesday’s opening day in the Pyrenees, Van Aert’s balanced his green jersey ambitions with his duties on Vingegaard’s behalf. He was part of the day’s early break, sweeping up points at the intermediate sprint, before dropping back to pace his teammate from the top of the Mur de Péguère to the finish in Foix.
Van Aert’s importance to Vingegaard’s cause has increased in the final week of the Tour following the abandons of Primoz Roglic and Steven Kruijswijk, prompting France Télévisions to refer to him as the team’s ‘Swiss Army Knife.’
If Vingegaard succeeds in maintaining his overall lead to the finish, Jumbo-Visma would become the first team since Telekom in 1997 to carry both the yellow and green jerseys to Paris.
