“I knew they wanted to sprint” - Mathieu van der Poel turns Van Aert & Visma’s Tirreno-Adriatico plan against them

Mathieu van der Poel’s second stage victory of the week at Tirreno-Adriatico did not come from a solo attack or a spectacular gravel ambush this time. Instead, the Dutchman won through patience and tactical awareness, reading the finale perfectly before striking in the final metres of Stage 4.

The Alpecin-Premier Tech leader kept his nerve after a hard day of racing in wet conditions and a selective finale shaped by repeated accelerations from the general classification contenders.

When the sprint finally opened inside the last kilometre, Van der Poel launched his effort early and held off the chasing riders to secure another victory.

“I knew they wanted to sprint,” Van der Poel said afterwards in comments collected by Sporza, referring to the strategy of Team Visma | Lease a Bike. “I had the luxury to gamble because I had already taken a stage win earlier in the race.”

Much of the decisive action unfolded on the Tortoreto climb with just over ten kilometres remaining. Team Visma | Lease a Bike drove the pace through Matteo Jorgenson, whose hard tempo reduced the group of contenders and ensured Wout van Aert remained in contention for a sprint finish.

Van der Poel stayed glued to the front group as the attacks came and went, while several riders were dropped in the selection, including some notable contenders from earlier stages.

“It had already been a hard day because of the strong breakaway,” Van der Poel explained. “The speed was very high all day, and Team Visma | Lease a Bike did a really good job on that climb.”

Van Aert successfully survived the climb and remained one of the fastest riders in the reduced group, while Jorgenson attempted to control the race after the descent. That scenario left Van der Poel in a favourable tactical position.

“I knew they wanted to sprint,” he said. “For me, it was a bit of a gamble because I had already won a stage.”

With several riders probing late moves in the final kilometre, Van der Poel chose his moment carefully. Filippo Ganna was one of the riders he expected to attack, prompting the Dutchman to remain alert in the closing phases. “I expected an attack from Filippo Ganna and tried to respond immediately,” Van der Poel explained.

When the sprint finally began, the Alpecin-Premier Tech rider committed early despite a headwind on the finishing straight. “Maybe I launched my sprint a bit too early because it was still quite far with the headwind.”

But the gamble paid off. “I’m happy that I managed to hold it.”

The victory underlined Van der Poel’s versatility once again. Although the finish itself was flat, the race leading into it had been anything but straightforward.

“That I finish it off in a flat sprint as well? Yes, but everything that happened before that certainly wasn’t flat,” he said. “I’m mainly satisfied with my form.”