"I think it is one of my most beautiful victories" - Mathieu van der Poel gets emotional after Champs-Élysées victory
Cycling
Mathieu van der Poel joins the many greats to have triumphed on Champs-Élysées before him in 2026. And it was not just any victory - the Dutchman attacked early alongside Tadej Pogacar to hold off the remains of peloton using his final bits of energy.
The Dutchman just about pushed past the finish line and then needed few minutes just to get back on his feet and celebrate the victory with his teammates - Jasper Philipsen finished second on the day, covering Van der Poel's victory.
"I think everyone has seen before that I can go very deep in a finish," Van der Poel told NOS. "I have said it a few times already, but this was maybe the deepest I have ever gone."
Him and the Slovenian built a solid lead after final Montmartre ascent, but the well-organized chase of Decathlon CMA CGM quickly whittled down their advantage in last five kilometers. "I actually thought it was over," he said. "With 500 metres to go, I thought I had nothing left to lose. I put my head down and rode as hard as possible towards the finish."
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One of the most beautiful victories
The 31-year-old has celebrated more than one beautiful victories during his career; after all he became road world champion (and cyclocross world champion 7x), won Paris-Roubaix and Tour of Flanders three times both, or Milano-Sanremo twice. And yet, there remains something unique about triumph on Paris' main boulevard.
"Definitely top five, maybe," Van der Poel ranked his most recent Tour de France victory. "Maybe even top three. I think it is one of my most beautiful victories."
Mathieu van der Poel wins on Champs-Élysées
"Pogacar is a true champion"
The presence of Pogacar at the front was crucial to his victory as the Slovenian never stopped pushing and believing in his own victory. Van der Poel described the Tour winner as "maybe the best rider ever" and praised his commitment.
"That is also the champion Tadej is," Van der Poel said. "He kept riding fully until the end. I think that is how we race, and he showed that again."
The new final stage circuit with Montmartre climb has been in Van der Poel's mind for a while, especially after he saw his eternal rival Wout Van Aert raise his hands in 2025. Since then, Van der Poel eyed to equalize after he had been unable to compete last year.
"I had been thinking about it for a year," he said. "Last year I was sick on the sofa and watched Wout win here. Right then, I thought that the following year I would put everything into winning this stage."
it's for this reason that the win has been quite special to the man who has already earned himself the right to be called "one of the best Classics riders" in history. "I do not get emotional that often anymore," Van der Poel said. "But I was a little bit emotional today."
"This was still somewhere near the top of my list," he added. "Slowly, I have ticked off almost everything. I can only say that I am very proud and very happy."
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- I get the point totally. We live in the snowflake society where some riders forget they are getting paid to ride and get results. When they have a few issues they try to look outside of the real issue instead of themselves. It odd so many of the team are making no complaints and getting on with their job. If you do not like what you do find another job simples. Tough love as my mum would say.paultryan200207-11-2026
- 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
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