"I asked Evenepoel a few weeks ago if he thought I could finish within a minute of him" - Mathieu van der Poel stays in touch with impressive Dauphiné TT
CyclingThursday, 12 June 2025 at 09:07
Mathieu van der Poel isn't exactly renowned for his abilities on a time trial bike, but on stage 4 of the 2025 Criterium du Dauphiné, the Dutchman showed some very impressive form to keep himself striking distance of the Maillot Jaune at the end of the day.
Clocking the 6th fastest time on the stage, Van der Poel lost over a minute to the stage winner and new Maillot Jaune Remco Evenepoel, but in terms of the general classification, the Alpecin-Deceuninck leader is just 14 seconds off his Belgian rival in 4th overall.
"I’m really happy with my performance today, especially after spending so much energy yesterday in the breakaway," reflected a proud Van der Poel in his post-stage interview at the finish line. "During the recon and also the warm up, I felt it in my legs but I was motivated to give it my all in this TT. I didn’t think about the overall lead at all. I knew that guys like Remco and the other GC favourites would gain a lot of time today so the yellow jersey was not in sight. It was just for myself, I wanted to do a good TT."
And as mentioned, losing 1:02 to Evenepoel and just 13 seconds to Tadej Pogacar, Van der Poel can be delighted with his efforts, even if he didn't quite manage to live up to a pre-race debate between himself and the Soudal - Quick-Step leader. "I asked Evenepoel a few weeks ago if he thought I could finish within a minute from him," he revealed. "It was close but I still have some work to do!"
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Een paar weken geleden stuurde Van der Poel een foto van zijn tijdritfiets naar Evenepoel. 'Wedden dat ik binnen een minuut van je blijf in de Dauphine'
— Daniel Dwarswaard (@DanielDwars) June 11, 2025
Het onderonsje hier. Evenepoel lachend: ,,1.01, haha.'' pic.twitter.com/dV1pPT3KLL
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May 12, 11:09
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- But he would be a wise man if he used the pre=condition "barring any unforseen event" in his prediction?FredMan20-06-2025
- This idiot seems to forget that a lot can happen in a 3 week race. It’s not just form, it’s a lot of luck too. All pog needs is for someone the peloton to take him out by accident and he could be out. Remember pundits declaring Remco was going to win in the giro the other year, only to crash in bad weatherCrashjames19-06-2025
- You're saying that if you patronize the sport of cycling, you are encouraging drug abuse, knowing that doping is prevalent in the sport. In my point of view, I continue to patronize the sport, however possible it may be tainted by doping, because I trust that people are doing their utmost to ensure that it is clean. I take responsibility for giving that trust, because the civilized world will not survive if we do not believe in the goodwill of mankind. If it is proven later that Tadej doped, then so be it. In the meantime, I'll just sit back and enjoy the show.FredMan19-06-2025
- Congrats, João! What a comeback from stage 1!Lobz7719-06-2025
- But Pogocar has never tested positive, unlike Lance.
Front24219-06-2025 - ahahahah I love irony.
maria2024202419-06-2025 - Respect!mobk19-06-2025
- Yésmobk19-06-2025
- It's really cool to hear one generational talent so humbly laud another, perhaps the greatest of all time. Fans can have their opinion, but when a guy who has actually done it and made the sacrifices offers high praise, it hits different.
Barney19-06-2025 - Puke.bobo19-06-2025
as of the day he rode the TT in yellow at the TDF in ‘21, mvdp had NEVER been in a wind tunnel and NEVER ridden his TT bike a single day except for the days he had to in stage races. that day he finished 5th, one second behind wout, and hung on to his yellow against all expectations.
well THIS is music to my ears. i’ve always thought — and said here several times — that van der poel SHOULD be a great time trialist, and the only reason he isn’t is that he just never gives his all unless it’s an event HE genuinely cares about, and for whatever reason he’s just never liked TTs. but his natural riding position is beautifully aerodynamic, and he has the ability to empty his tank to a degree that i think is basically unmatched. i hope his passion for this event grows.
So cool to see them joking about their talent.