Mathieu van der Poel will "fully focus on stage victories" at Tour de France

Mathieu van der Poel has made his Tour de France debut last summer where he had a tremendously successful start to the race, winning a stage and putting on the yellow jersey on the Mur de Bretagne. In 2022 he returns, with similar ambitions alongside Alpecin-Fenix.

“No, I’m not going to get involved in the battle for the green jersey. It takes away a lot of freedom, while I want to fully focus on stage wins. Maybe this is something for teammate Jasper Philipsen," he told RIDE magazine. Although finishing first and second in the opening days of the Giro d'Italia, he didn't attempt to fight for the maglia ciclamino. Hence, with a sprinter in the team and a system more favourable to pure sprinters, it was no surprise to see the Dutchman neglect his chances of fighting for green. 

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That focus will instead be on Jasper Philipsen, six times podium last year and undisputed sprinter according to the rumours that Tim Merlier will miss the race. “I don’t know if it will be a goal for Jasper. But it is something he must be able to handle. He crosses the cols quickly enough to occasionally grab some extra points in the intermediate sprints in a difficult stage. But I’m definitely not going to try it this year.”

Van der Poel will then focus on stage wins. There will be a few stages that have hilltop finishes aswell as stage five into Arenberg which will feature several cobbled sectors. The yellow jersey is also very much a possibility for the Dutchman, who is likely to be one of the headliners of the opening week.

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He also shares that with the likes of Wout van Aert contesting for the jersey, the competition will be harder than ever. “It is no secret that Wout has a lot of resilience. And I don’t deny that three weeks of fighting for that green jersey is a heavy mental load. It also takes away some of the freedom."

"I will therefore not interfere in that battle in this Tour, but I want to fully focus on stage victories. Don’t forget that Wout already has a few Grand Tours in his legs. I think he can handle that combination more easily," he concluded.