Mathieu van der Poel hopeful of getting "yellow in the coming days" after strong time-trial

Mathieu van der Poel is far from a time-trialing specialists, but has finished the fourth Grand Tour time-trial of his career for the fourth time in the Top5, and is still seeking to get in yellow by the end of the first week.

“It's nice to be here, but I had hoped for better legs," the Dutchman said at the end of his effort, previewing that he would be dislodged from the hot seat when the main favourites on the day came through. Although that did happen, van der Poel finished the day in fifth place only 13 seconds slower than Yves Lampaert and is fully within striking distance in the opening week.

"My goal was to try and do a good time trial and limit the losses, and hopefully get the yellow in the coming days," he added - confirming that his goal is that exactly. With stages five and six presenting a tough cobbled stage and a punchy finish in Longwy, those should be the main targets for the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider to strike. Until then, it's crucial to stay safe in the peloton and remain in touch.

He managed to thrive in the wet route - unlike many of his rivals - and has seen himself in a good position after the opening day. "I don't think I'm wasting too much time today. If I can limit the damage to the Roubaix stage, a lot is possible," he concluded.