"It will probably be too difficult for me again" - Mathieu van der Poel not overly positive on chances of winning stage in Basque Country
Cycling
Mathieu van der Poel had high hopes for the opening day of the Tour de France and that appeared clear as Alpecin-Deceuninck put on a chase throughout the day. Van der Poel couldn't match the best in the final climb however, and into today he think similar will happen.
“It doesn't have such a steep climb as that final climb of yesterday, but then the race was slightly different because everyone knew that climb was still to come. I will wait a bit to see how I feel, but it will probably be too difficult for me again," van der Poel told Het Nieuwsblad this morning. The stage isn't expected to be attacked as hard as the opening day, however the combination of the climbs and the longer Alto de Jaizkibel will make a selection in the peloton.
If he can resist the pace in the climb is his worry: “If I try anything at all, it will be trying to follow. It depends on how the favorites will race. There are also bonus seconds on top of the Jaizkibel, so there will be riding for that." The likes of Wout van Aert, Alex Aranburu and Corbin Strong are seen as some of the main favourites in what is a very open and tricky day.
"After the climb there is still a little time to come back. I do want to believe in it. But the Tour is still long and I try to focus mainly on the opportunities in the stages that suit me best," the Dutchman ends, not too positive on his chances of fighting for a victory today, and instead focus on stages later in the second week mostly.
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A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
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- 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
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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No top result for us in de first stage of @LeTour. Mathieu didn't find his best legs today. But what an atmosphere in Bilbao. Already looking forward to tomorrow! #alpecindeceuninck 📸 Mr.Pinko
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