Mathieu van der Poel DOES want more Tour de France glory: "I cherish the memory of Mur-de-Bretagne in 2021 and remain motivated for another stage win"

Mathieu van der Poel had his glory at the Tour de France earlier in his career, climaxing in 2021 where he won stage 2 and took the yellow jersey. However that's well behind, and ever since he never looked to be at his best in the Grand Boucle, instead being a leadout man as a priority. In 2025 this will change.

“It is not that I do not like the Tour, but there are other races that I prefer. I cherish the memory of Mûr-de-Bretagne in 2021 and remain motivated for another stage win. There are some opportunities in the first week," the cyclocross and gravel World Champion told Het Laatste Nieuws.

There were serious questions on whether the 30-year old would participate this year, as the course and way of racing in the Tour is completely different then the cobbled classics and one-day races where he usually thrives. That has left him high and dry at the Tour since that one day almost four years ago.

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With the spring classics and the Mountain Bike World Championships looming in the distance, and a possible Vuelta a España debut on the table, only a puncheur-oriented first week at the Tour with four punchy finishes convinced the plans to change. Now it is a perfectly suited route for the Dutchman to win again in the opening days of the race, alongside riders such as Wout van Aert, Thibau Nys, Mads Pedersen and Tadej Pogacar.

Team manager Philip Roodhoft backed up it's star: “Whose favorite race is the Tour? Of course a Giro or Vuelta is more relaxed. But the Tour is the biggest of the three, a stage win there has more impact than in Italy or Spain. Organizer ASO also benefits from top riders like Mathieu showing up at the start with ambition. In that sense, a few attractive stages effectively fit his profile perfectly," he explains. "So do it. Does it take a lot of convincing? Mathieu is more than intelligent enough to see that himself. And to know that it will not jeopardize his autumn goal," he refers to the MTB Worlds - the final World title he is yet to conquer as an elite rider, excluding track.

“If Mathieu has had a good season up to that point, it can only provide a lot of motivation and fun. Because everyone knows how much he likes mountain biking. Also important in terms of Los Angeles 2028. The Games seem far away, but in essence they are not. You shouldn't start with it in 2027.”

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"Something can always happen. But hey, Remco crashed into the open door of a car during training" - Philip Roodhooft dispels concerns over Mathieu van der Poel's skiing trip

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