Wout Van Aert (open in new tab), who won Wednesday's opening stage of the Criterium du Dauphiné (open in new tab), his third victory in the four days since the race resumed, said he sees a chance for himself in the Tour de France.

The Belgian will play the role of superdomestique in the Dauphiné and the Tour de France's four remaining tough summit finishes.

At the stage finish in Saint-Christ-en-Yares, Dumoulin said (opens in new tab) that Van Aert may not have much of a chance to ride for himself as the team will focus all its efforts on GC in France. However, Van Aert said he has a good chance at the Tour. Last year, he decided to sprint in Albi, with Kruijswijk finishing third overall.

"I still don't know if I have a chance at the Tour," Van Aert told Het Laatste Nieuws (open in new tab). But if you have a chance in a small five-day stage race, you definitely have a chance in the Tour, which lasts three weeks."

"A lot of people in Belgium might have been a little worried that I wouldn't get my chance. I took my chance at a stage like today. I have to be realistic in the coming stages.

Van Aert, who won Strade Bianche (open in new tab) and Milan-San Remo (open in new tab) earlier this month, said it was during a stage that crossed the finish earlier in the day that he decided to go for victory in San Cristo-Anne-Jares.

"I was going to see how it would go and, in fact, it went ok," he said. 'I could see the finish at the first crossing, 30 kilometers before the finish. Then I decided to run for the win. Apparently it was a good choice. You never want to miss out on a stage win.

"It wasn't a last-minute decision. If I feel good in the final, it's for my own good. If it's more difficult, I'll let Roglic finish. Even the guys at the top of the final worked for me.

"I've been feeling really good the last few weeks and the climbing has been going well. I knew I was a step ahead of guys like Sagan in that regard.

With versatile, punchy sprinters like Peter Sagan and Sonny Colbrelli finishing a few minutes behind, Van Aat showed that he is in top shape to work for the team leaders in the Tour by winning the first stage from a 56-man group dominated by climbers. The 25-year-old said he had lost weight to fight on terrain that is usually outside his comfort zone.

"It's a very good weight," he said. 'Of course, compared to a real climber, I'm still much heavier. At some point I could still gain by losing muscle that I don't need. I don't need shoulder width to run fast. It's better to get rid of that."