"It was a disappointment because there were some great stages in final week" - Mathieu van der Poel returns at Renewi Tour

Mathieu van der Poel was one of the main protagonists of the first week of the 2025 Tour de France. And the Dutch star was most certainly looking forward to race on the Montmartre climb in Paris, however his Tour participation has been cut short on the second rest day when the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider contracted pneumonia and did not start in stage 16. Since then he's yet to race, but that should change next week.

"It's always difficult to stay healthy in a Grand Tour, because you're in contact with a lot of people and you don't stay in the best hotels. Unfortunately, it was my turn to get sick this year," Van der Poel explained to In De Leiderstrui.

After a strong start to the race, the sudden withdrawal was a bitter pill to swallow. "It was definitely a disappointment. Especially because there were some great stages in that final week, including that last stage. But hey, there's nothing you can do about it."

"Things are going pretty well now," he continues. "I've still been quite bothered by it, but it's starting to get better. The Sunday after I gave up, I was able to cycle easily again for the first time, but it took a good week before I could fit in the more intensive training. In Spain, I was able to get back into the swing of things."

The big goal of Van der Poel's 2025 season was announced to be the Mountain Bike World Championships. That hasn't changed, even though some adjustments will be made. "Normally, that's still the case. I first want to see how the Renewi Tour goes, and then the Mountain Bike World Cup in Les Gets, France."

Van der Poel will add some extra training sessions on the mountain bike in Belgium with the Renewi Tour in between. "That's to get into race rhythm, after which the focus will go back to the mountain bike," says the Alpecin-Deceuninck leader.