News headlines: Jumbo deny van Aert rift; ”Hands off Remco” says Lefevere; team radio relay proving a hit; Astana say no to Nairo

As the Tour de France heads for the Pyrenees, these are RadioCycling's news headlines...

Wout van Aert hasn't looked like a happy camper at times during the Tour's opening days, but Jumbo-Visma's head of performance Merijn Zeeman tells us that there's no rift  at all between the Dutch team's multi-talented Belgian powerhouse and their Danish leader and defending Tour champion Jonas Vingegaard. It's nothing more than the Belgian press creating something out of nothing, Zeeman asserts.

Our man in the Tour's media mixed zone, Chris "Listen Boy" Marshall-Bell, catches Soudal-QuickStep boss Patrick Lefevere in chatty mood even when the subject of team leader Remco Evenepoel's future is brought up.  Lefevere tells us Remco's happy where he is, has signed a contract to 2026, and that Ineos should look elsewhere for another Grand Tour big-hitter.

Four days into the initiative that has resulted in messages broadcast over team radio being relayed on TV broadcasts and the initial verdict is in. And the 17 teams taking part are... largely indifferent to be honest. However, Bora-Hansgrohe sporting director Rolf Aldag acknowledges that they can be useful to fans, even in situations where teams might be embarrassed about what's being said.

We also speak to Astana-Qazaqstan team manager Alexandre Vinokourov, who talks Mark Cavendish, welcomes the arrival of a new secondary sponsor, insists that the Kazakh team will retain its general classification focus, but knocks down the suggestion that there's any weight to the rumours that they might have an interest in bringing Colombia's Nairo Quintana back into the peloton from competitive exile.

PLUS, in our Coffee Beans segment at the end of the show...

• Netflix  set their focus on Mark Cavendish for series 2 of Unchained   
• Jai Hindley backs Simon Yates for a Tour podium challenge
• Sam Bennett wants out of Bora after Tour non-selection

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