Belgian ace Wout van Aert leaves Tour de France ahead of second child birth

MOUTIERS, France (AP) — Belgian allrounder Wout van Aert, a key teammate of Tour de France leader Jonas Vingegaard, has left the race to be with his wife Sarah ahead of the birth of their second child. Van Aert has provided crucial support to Vingegaard since the start of the Tour. But because Vingegaard has opened a huge gap in the general classification with one tough mountain stage left, his presence on the race has not been deemed essential. Van Aert says leaving the race is “a strange feeling, but it’s not a dilemma.” He has nine career stage wins on the Tour but none this month. Vingegaard leads Pogacar by 7 1/2 minutes. The race ends on Sunday.