Mathieu van der Poel did not come close to winning another Tour de France stage in 2024, but it doesn't bother the Alpecin-Deceuninck too much, as his big goal for this season will only come in two weeks at the Paris Olympic Games.
After the time trial from Monaco to Nice, the world champion told his story to the NOS. Among other things, about why he rode his road bike. "It was up and down with some bends. I don't often ride my time trial bike, I prefer my regular bike. I rode at a good pace, because I still felt good. I was a bit apprehensive about it, but it was a nice ending."
Van der Poel finished eleventh in the gravel stage and delivered a number of perfect lead-outs, but what Van der Poel showed was not as great as he may have hoped. "I can't be completely satisfied," he is self-critical. "I had hoped for more. As a team we can be satisfied, because not many teams win a stage. Jasper wins three. We can be satisfied about that."
Even more than last year, a stage win was a goal. "I didn't come close, while I wanted to as world champion. But it would be easy if every goal was achieved. A rider like me simply doesn't get many chances. It's no excuse, because I had hoped to be closer."
The big goal of the summer awaits in Paris in two weeks when Van der Poel starts as one of the top favorites during the Olympic road race. "I actually still feel pretty good. I don't have the feeling that I was destroyed during the Tour de France. Let's hope so. Now it's important to stay busy and healthy. I'll also schedule some intensive training sessions. It's a copy of last year's World Championships. First I'm going to Belgium to ride a criterium in Roeselare and then we'll have to wait and see whether I'll go to Spain."
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