“It will be difficult for anyone to follow” – Van der Poel cautions threat of Pogacar and Vingegaard on stage 11
Cycling
Stage 11 of the Tour de France may appear ideal for a rider
like Mathieu van der Poel, but the Dutchman isn’t entirely convinced it will
play to his strengths, especially if the general classification battle lights
up on the final climb.
After already taking a stage win and wearing yellow earlier
in the race, Van der Poel enters the day with confidence but also realism.
Speaking to Sporza before the start of the stage, he addressed the growing talk of
whether his Alpecin-Deceuninck team can bring a breakaway under control.
"That's certainly possible, but it's questionable
whether the group is controllable," he said. "After the rest day,
many riders are often motivated to attack, and the breakaway could have a
chance today. Ideally, we would be able to control a smaller breakaway."
The stage finishes in Toulouse, but not before the brutal
Côte de Pech David, a sharp and punishing climb that could serve as a
springboard for late attacks. Van der Poel knows what’s coming. “Yes, that
climb is tough. We did a reconnaissance yesterday, and it's a bit like the
first few weeks."
And if the GC riders make their move early on the climb, Van
der Poel isn’t pretending he’ll be able to go with them. “If Tadej and Jonas
attack from the foot, it will be very difficult for anyone to follow.”
There is still a chance, however, for regrouping on the flat
that follows the summit. “After the summit, it's still flat for a while, and a
group could return. That's also possible with Kaden Groves. There will be gaps,
but they will be limited.”
As for positioning, Van der Poel knows the final approach
will be a war of nerves and legs. “Outside the top 10 you're in trouble, but
the whole peloton knows that. It's going to be a fight.”
Fin MajorCycling Journalist
Fin Major is a UK-based writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2024. He is the site’s main writer for FAQs and evergreen explainers and has written around 2,000 pieces for the platform. Alongside this work, he focuses on in-depth analysis and covers the biggest races on the calendar, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, providing clear context around performance trends, tactics, and key storylines.
In his reporting, Fin uses reputable data sources such as 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. Outside of writing, Fin is an active cyclist, which supports his practical understanding of the sport and its demands.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- great analysis thanks! appreciate you posting this. I didn't realize CX had a different standard for deviation. this is even more egregious it seems.mij10-11-2026
- As he isn't currently with Red Bull, I guess if he want to race for one more year he needs to find a team. He's 37 so this will be his last year I would guess, unless he wants to race for almost nothing like Froome did.awp10-11-2026
- I think some are making much ado about nothing. Even though Jonas is getting older, before his crash in the Tour, he looked like a solid 2nd all the way home. No one can really climb with Tadej until this year, Eric Mas showed himself which I think was a one off year for him and Paul Seixas has been able to be pretty close to him. Whatever stage race Jonas enters as long as Tadej is not there he is a favorite to win.awp10-11-2026
- Giro or not Giro, he won't win the Tour!MajorPayne10-11-2026
- Very true.awp10-11-2026
- Ciccone had a very strong end of season. Consistently attacking and livening up races. Hope he makes that last leap in progress and starts notching some significant wins. Great rider to watch.Occam10-11-2026
- Me too!!!!!Occam10-11-2026
- they can sign any 100 of top riders today but Pogi will win over Remco any time at the TDF unless something goes wrongabstractengineer10-11-2026
- the time for a GC rider to retire is when they cannot win stages, or have a significant level drop like from winner/podium into top 5/10 consistently. Roglic is still competitive and Froome raced even though he became pack fodder.abstractengineer10-11-2026
- He should be in a different team. It was detrimental. For them it does not matter if he does not develop. He should have gone to a team where they need him to succeed.abstractengineer10-11-2026
Loading
2 Comments