Mathieu van der Poel's last shot at stage win at this year's Tour: "There is a good chance for him there, but that does not automatically mean success"

Mathieu van der Poel was already very important in the Tour de France as the final piece in the sprint-train puzzle for Jasper Philipsen, but the world champion himself did not come close to a stage win. There were not many chances for classics men like the Dutchman at this year's Tour, but on Thursday, there should be one last chance for those who don't consider themselves top climbers.

The man in the rainbow jersey is aiming for today's stage, to Barcelonnette. This is a stage with five categorized climbs of third category and a total of around 3,000 meters of elevation. "He will not be a lead-out there," says Philip Roodhooft, the team manager of Alpecin-Deceuninck, laughing in conversation with De Telegraaf.

"There is a good chance for him there, but that does not automatically mean that it will lead to success," he is well-aware of the seemingly endless list of riders who have circled today's stage. "There are more riders who have their sights set on that day. But yes, it keeps him busy and motivated. If an opportunity presents itself, he will not hesitate to take it."

"It is a very tough Tour and I think that this is to Mathieu’s advantage, if you see what kind of athlete he is and what a powerful engine he has," Roodhooft continues. "He suffers relatively less than others in mountain stages, so it is logical that he still feels good in this third week."

Yet the main goal of Mathieu van der Poel's preparation lies only beyond the Tour. The 29-year-old devoted much of his season to the Olympic Games in Paris, where he even removed the mountain bike event from his plans to prepare for the road race the best way possible. Gold medal will be the only acceptable result. And Tour de France will serve as a perfect preparation. If there is a stage win on top, Van der Poel would be able to speak of a great success.