Father Adrie admits Mathieu van der Poel is scared of Covid-19 at Tour de France: "He doesn't want to stand close for a photo or doesn't even want to take selfies with fans"

Covid-19 is being spread throughout the Tour de France peloton, staff and also must be said - fans. The huge amount of people that it takes to organize such a race and huge amount of fans has led to plenty positive cases amongst the riders, and most teams are at this point protecting themselves in similar ways of previous years. Mathieu van der Poel needs to be at his best level for the Olympic Games and for that reason is being extremely cautious with fans throughout the race.

“I think Mathieu's Tour is good so far. No more, but also no less. I mean, there aren't that many opportunities. Then you get lost in the team's tactics a bit," Adrie van der Poel, his father, said in words to Wielerflits. "In the gravel stage, he is in everything, except the good group that starts and fights for the day's victory. In the stage to Pau, something was also possible, but you have the disadvantage that Adam Yates was in it (the breakaway, ed.). Then you fall back in the peloton, he gambles on Jasper Philipsen's sprint and he is behind an echelon. Fortunately, Jasper still won.” It is a race with almost no opportunity for the World Champion and realistically only one more day where he can succeed.

“There are still a few nice days to come. I see one more chance in the final week. That is the stage on Thursday to Barcelonette. A very difficult stage, but there are no real climbs. Only they first have to see with the team that they can control the stage on Tuesday to Nîmes in a good way. I think that is the most important thing. After Barcelonette, Mathieu just has to keep going and finish the Tour as well as possible," Adrie argues.

The Dutchman's form seems to be slowly on the rise and the plan is that the same plan that worked last year is successful once again, with the Tour serving as a build-up for the key race that takes place only a couple weeks after the finale. For that reason, van der Poel is being specially careful with his contact with fans, as Covid-19 at this time of year can completely wreck his plans.

“We try to take that into account. Sometimes that is met with incomprehension from people, when he doesn't want to stand close for a photo or doesn't even want to take selfies with fans at all. That is the other side of the coin when you try to get through the Tour as well and healthy as possible," Adriee continues. "This is also one of the reasons why Mathieu and I have less contact. It is from a distance, but in our role Eric Vanderaerden and I try to avoid the riders as much as possible. Towards the [Olympic] Games you have to accept that it is like this for now.”

“He had his ups and downs. That is logical, I think. It has already been a very tough Tour, in which the racing was super hard and you had very hot weather, but also rain. He knows what he has to do to be in the best shape in about three weeks. I myself have not watched enough television to be able to judge him properly on this point. From what I see, I see that he is quite relaxed. Every now and then he lets us know that he has had a tough day. But I think there is little difference with last year".