“I’ve seen Mathieu do things I thought were impossible” – Adrie van der Poel refuses to put a ceiling on son's Tour de France hopes

Adrie van der Poel is not treating Mathieu van der Poel’s Tour de France as a support-only mission, with the former rider pointing to the opening week as a place where his son may still find chances of his own.

Mathieu is set to line up for Alpecin-Premier Tech, where his role is expected to include both stage hunting and work around Jasper Philipsen in the sprints.

Speaking to Wieler Revue ahead of his new daily Tour de France column, Adrie’s Analyse, Adrie said skipping the race was never likely while opportunities remained on the route.

“You can skip everything,” he said firmly. “Look, if you have to go to the Tour and there are absolutely zero opportunities for that type of rider, then you have to think seriously about it. But I think there are definitely some chances in this Tour. Not chances like last year, but certainly opportunities to do something.”

One of those chances could come early. The opening phase of the Tour is not built only around bunch sprints, and Adrie sees no reason why Mathieu should be ruled out on punchier terrain if others are being backed for the same roads. “If Van Aert thinks he can win on Montjuic, then Mathieu should be able to as well,” said Adrie.

That confidence is partly rooted in what he has already watched Mathieu do across his career. Even Adrie admits there have been races where his son has gone beyond what looked realistic. “I have seen Mathieu do things in the past where I thought: that is not within his capabilities,” he admitted. “And then he wins that race anyway.”

Van der Poel arrives at the Tour after a strong but imperfect 2026 campaign. He has won Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, E3 Saxo Classic and two stages of Tirreno-Adriatico, finished second at the Tour of Flanders behind Tadej Pogacar, and placed fourth at Paris-Roubaix after mechanical problems damaged his pursuit of another cobbled Monument victory.

Adrie also pushed back against the idea that Mathieu should simply stay in the wheel of a favourite deep into a finale. Asked how he watches his son race, he admitted that family still comes before analysis. “The analyst only comes later,” he said. “That is the easiest thing there is: saying what riders did right and wrong.”

He was blunter about outside criticism of Mathieu’s racing instincts. “That is criticism from people who don’t understand racing,” Adrie said. “Those guys just have to race. Then we’ll see who is the strongest. When people say he should just stay in the wheel, I think he thinks: get lost. And I completely agree with him on that.”

Adrie also rejected the idea that Mathieu’s relaxed image away from competition tells the full story. “People have no idea,” he said. “They see him stop for a slice of apple pie and a coffee on Instagram. But he says himself that he sometimes suffers more in training than in the race.”

For Alpecin-Premier Tech, the balance at the Tour will be delicate. Philipsen remains one of the team’s clearest routes to stage success, but Adrie’s view leaves room for Mathieu to chase his own openings, especially on days where the finale is too hard for a pure sprinter and too chaotic for anyone waiting politely in the wheels.