"The wrist is still a bit sensitive" - Mathieu van der Poel won't start Dauphiné in perfect shape

After a successful spring, we saw Mathieu van der Poel return to mountain bikes - but with not as many achievements. In his only World Cup start, the Dutchman fell twice, injuring his wrist in the process. But if we thought that'd stop the phenomenon, we couldn't have been more wrong. Just two weeks later, Van der Poel is ready at the start of Critérium du Dauphiné, an important preparation race with view to Tour de France.

Against all predictions, Van der Poel's recovery was super-fast. "Luckily I was able to resume training away from home quite quickly," he said in a pre-Dauphiné press release. "The wrist is still a bit sensitive, but there is no real pain anymore. I avoided the efforts at full power and the sprints, that still felt like a bit too much."

The French stage race didn't initially appear to be a realistic return term for the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider, but now he's ready to hunt stages with plenty opportunities in the first half of this year's Dauphiné. "I feel fit enough to be competitive. The goal is to get back into racing mode, and if possible, try to win a stage."

The big goal is however on the menu for next month, with what would be Van der Poel's fifth participation at the Grande Boucle. "But it is mainly about building up form for the Tour de France. That is the real priority."