"My voice is back, that's not bad at all" - Mathieu van der Poel recovering from illness and looking to still win at Tour de France

Mathieu van der Poel found himself as a luxury domestique in the opening week of the Tour de France, absolutely thriving in the role of leadout man for Jasper Philipsen. Entering the second week where he had his best chances he fell ill, but still hopes to achieve something on stage 12.

“I'm going to see how the legs feel. My voice is back, that's not bad at all. It's not that I'm super sick or anything, I just had an infection I think," van der Poel said at the start of the stage this morning in Roanne. "My sleep is decent, but I don't feel 100 percent. We'll see how it goes.”

Van der Poel had an opportunity on stage 10 but the brutal start to the race saw him, as well as many others, struggle. He ended up doing some work in search of a possible sprint for the Belgian, ultimately unsuccessfully. Stage 12 is perhaps his last chance to win a stage in this Tour de France which does not suit the classics riders, and he reports that his health has slightly improved.

Yesterday Philipsen won his fourth stage of the race, this time around without the leadout that he has had in the first week delivering him perfectly. Van der Poel was present, but despite not in the final meters, he had no doubt the win could still come. “We know he (Jasper Philipsen, ed.) can do his own thing. I'm just there to make his job a little easier, but it's not that it's impossible without me. I think he has shown that he is the fastest sprinter."