I trained alongside a Tour de France stage winner to test cycling’s next big thing – I was well and truly humbled

WHEN Victor Campenaerts won Stage 18 of this year’s Tour de France, it was the culmination of months of meticulous planning, entirely focused on winning that stage and that stage alone.

The Lotto-Dstny rider, 33, had been European Time Trial Champion in 2017 and 2018, beat Sir Bradley Wiggins’ hour record in 2019, and won a stage at the Giro d’Italia in 2021.

But that elusive stage win at Le Tour had so far evaded him...