Mathieu van der Poel glad to have better sensations during stage 12: "I gave everything, I knew it was my last chance this week"

In recent days, Mathieu van der Poel was not completely fit and could not play a significant role in the Tour de France. On Thursday, however, the Dutchman was again one of the main protagonists during the twelfth stage.

"It was much better than the past few days," said Van der Poel who jumped along with various groups in the early stages and eventually ended up in the 'early' breakaway of the day. There he first got away with Andrey Amador and then, with 47 kilometers to go, he started a solo. He did not successfully complete this one, but he did receive the prize for the most combative rider. "I was on the limit. I tried something, but it didn't work out the way I wanted."

"I gave everything, I knew it was my last chance this week," continued Van der Poel. "Even though I didn't feel great yet, I tried. I was hoping to get over the last climb with a bit of a lead, but the gap was too small and the body was empty."