Mathieu van der Poel looking for "some competition before the Tour de France" as he makes Criterium du Dauphine debut

The 2025 Critérium du Dauphiné gets underway this Sunday, and among the marquee names on the start list is Mathieu van der Poel. The Dutchman has made a timely recovery from the wrist injury he sustained at the Mountain Bike World Cup in Nové Město, allowing him to line up for the key Tour de France warm-up race.

Speaking to Cycling Pro Net ahead of Stage 1, Van der Poel admitted that although his condition isn’t yet perfect, he's cautiously optimistic about his chances.

"The wrist is not 100%, but it's still okay," he said. "The only thing is I didn’t really do, like, an all-out effort, so we will see how I feel today. I've trained pretty well actually, given the circumstances. So yeah, hopefully we can be in the mix today."

The opening stage could well end in a bunch sprint, with the first yellow jersey of the race on the line. Van der Poel is keeping his options open depending on how the race unfolds.

"I'll see how I feel and then I’ll decide to go for it," he explained. "I think Jonathan Milan is the favourite — he’s the fastest of this bunch — but yeah, maybe we can try and do something."

With Jonathan Milan (Lidl–Trek) widely expected to dominate any sprint finish, Van der Poel knows the day may be tightly controlled, limiting late breakaway opportunities. "I think it’s going to be a sprint today," he added. "It’s still the first stage, the yellow jersey is on the line as well, so I think they will control it."

Despite being one of the most versatile riders in the peloton, this is Van der Poel’s debut at the Dauphiné. He says the decision to race here was made before his injury, as part of his build-up toward peak form for the Tour de France.

"It was already decided," he said. "It’s my first time here, and I think it’s better to have some competition for me before the Tour de France. I was never at the Dauphiné, so it’s good to try something new sometimes."

Van der Poel is expected to play a key role again at the Tour, likely supporting Jasper Philipsen in the sprints while also targeting stage wins of his own.