Michael Boogerd doesn't favor Mathieu van der Poel for first yellow jersey: "I expect UAE to make the race tough"
Cycling
Tour de France will start on Saturday, June 29. While the battle for overall victory will last for three weeks, many eyes will follow closely the fight for the first yellow jersey in Rimini.
Tom Dumoulin is convinced Mathieu van der Poel won't be in the mix on a hard stage from Florence and De Telegraaf columnist Michael Boogerd agrees with the take.
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"If you look at the first stage, it will be too difficult for Van der Poel with a few vicious climbs," Boogerd thinks. "If Tadej Pogacar feels good right away and notices that Jonas Vingegaard is not yet at his best, I expect UAE to make the race tough."
In addition, Boogerd doesn't favor the world champion for stage win the following day either. "The yellow jersey will be a difficult story, and the second stage is not really ideal for Van der Poel either. But yes, Van der Poel has surprised us before, although I assume that he is focusing on stages further on in the Tour," he refers for example the gravel stage 9 in Troyes.
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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