"As a little boy I trained on the roads we ride on Saturday and Sunday" - Mathieu van der Poel reveals special motivation to win this weekend
Cycling
Mathieu van der Poel comes from a long line of world class cyclists and although the Tour de France currently finds itself in the middle of France, it will be on roads where he used to train with grandfather Raymond Poulidor when he was younger.
“The start in Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat will be special. Of course I know that place well. When I was young we always visited my grandparents there," van der Poel said in an interview with Le Populaire, regarding the start of stage 9 which will see the riders go up to Puy de Dôme. "I always like the comparison with my grandfather. I take that as a compliment.”
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A Dutchman, van der Poel has always very much been part of the Belgian circuit, but has also spent quite a lot of time training in France. Due to Poulidor's experience with the Tour in the past, the race has always been a key goal for van der Poel's career. The 2021 Tour de France was perhaps it's climax as he won atop the Mûr-de-Bretagne on the second day and put on the yellow jersey.
“When I won at Mûr-de-Bretagne a day later and took the yellow jersey, it was a very emotional moment. Especially since grandpa was gone. What I did there was the best thing I could do. I was very happy that day and I immediately thought of him," he admits. "It is a great pity that he could no longer be there with us. Because of that special outfit, there was also a lot of pressure, but it turned out to be an unforgettable day!”
“I will try to enjoy myself as much as possible. The infamous history of the Puy de Dôme makes it special to finish there. You have the historic duel that my grandfather fought with Anquetil in 1964. And we can rarely, if ever, climb that climb. For that reason alone it will be a fun experience. Because of the start in Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat I am really looking forward to the start of that stage. But winning on the Puy de Dôme is not realistic for me.”
This year's stage 9 however is unlikely to be a big focus for him in terms of winning ambitions, with a tough summit finish. However today's stage is a much more feasible goal as the riders head into Limoges where they will find a hilly finale, with an uphill drag to the line. Alpecin-Deceuninck will have to manage both his and Jasper Philipsen ambitions on the day, however it can be said with certainty that it is the Dutchman's best opportunity so far on what has been a brutally attacked race.
“It's not that I would like to win even more than usual. I am always eager to win. But that ride will also be special. As a little boy I trained on the roads we ride on Saturday and Sunday," the Dutchman revealed to Wielerflits. "I would like to win a stage in this Tour, that would be great. We are working on a very good Tour with the team. I especially want to get to Paris in good shape.”
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Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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2️⃣ + 1️⃣ = 3️⃣ And we strike again! 7 stages far, and @JasperPhilipsen takes his 3rd victory in this @LeTour 👏 Once again, a phenomenal lead-out by the entire time! #AlpecinDeceuninck #JasperPhilipsen #TDF2023 💚
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