Mathieu van der Poel disagrees with relegation decision: "I don't think I'm doing much wrong. I am the last person who wants to put someone in danger"

Mathieu der Poel was relegated after bumping into Biniam Girmay on the sprint in stage 4. He disagrees with the decision but is however relatively unbothered by it, as it brought little consequences after a stage win from Jasper Philipsen.

“I had expected that they might do something, although I thought it was better than expected. I don't think I'm doing much wrong. I am the last person who wants to put someone in danger,” van der Poel told Vive le Vélo. “I liked it myself. Immediately after the finish I spoke to Bini and he felt the same way. He didn't think anything bad had happened. And if you take a closer look at the last three kilometers, you have to declassify twenty riders.”

Van der Poel and Phil Bauhaus were fined due to dangerous behavior in the final kilometers, which saw three different crashes within the final circuit near Nogaro. It was a very hectic finale, and Alpecin-Deceuninck for the second day in a row executed their leadout to perfection, with van der Poel launching Philipsen to two consecutive wins, confirming his talent in his new role. "We get along well. I get on well with Jasper. It clicks between us and then it is just that little bit more fun."

"The chance of success is also great. If I pilot him perfectly, he will finish eight times out of ten. It is also unique to hoist a teammate in the green. And Jasper has already done a lot of work for me, for example in Paris-Roubaix. It is about giving and taking. I do that with great pleasure," van der Poel concluded.