Mathieu van der Poel on his goals for the remainder of the Tour de France: "Help Jasper Philipsen get that green jersey to Paris"

So far at the 2023 Tour de France, Mathieu van der Poel has set aside his own personal goals in order to play the role of super-teammate for Jasper Philipsen. Seemingly, that is something we can expect to continue in the remainder of the race.

“I feel pretty okay, actually. Everything looks pretty good so far. I'm looking forward to seeing if there's anything I can do there in weeks two and three. So far it has not been necessary to approach my best figures in terms of power output," said the Dutch superstar on the first rest day of the Tour de France to the assembled press in quotes collected by Wielerflits. "In the sprints, of course, but not otherwise. The first two days in the Basque Country I was just not good enough, I didn't really have the legs I had hoped for. But in the preparation for Jasper's sprints, I was always able to make a difference if it turned out to be necessary."

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So far, van der Poel has showcased some supreme leadout qualities in helping his Alpecin-Deceuninck teammate Jasper Philipsen to three stage wins and a massive lead in the points classification battle.

"I said from the start that I was going to help Jasper get that green jersey to Paris," van der Poel explains. "That is still true. The spring I've had makes it easier for me to do that now. But I will certainly try to show something in this Tour myself. But if Jasper has a better chance, that choice is not difficult.”

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There are still a few stages that he is targeting although as van der Poel admits himself, the chances for him are few and far between. “I think there are a few stages coming up now where I can do my thing. It's not like I'm not going to ride for myself for a single day," he says. "To start with, Tuesday is a great opportunity for refugees. I think there are two more stages after that where there are opportunities for me. It is true that there are not many opportunities left in week two or three, but we knew that in advance. I want to make it to Paris anyway. It would be nice to bring the green jersey with Jasper there with the team, that is really something unique. I really want to be a part of that.”

"In the Giro I was also involved in stages that I probably wouldn't win anyway. I'm definitely not going to do that here," he continues referencing the 2022 Giro d'Italia. "We need to make sure Jasper keeps his lead. He has more capacity, a larger engine and is therefore often fresher than other sprinters. Confidence is high, but we have to keep an eye on Mads Pedersen.”

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