“There is nothing more we can do” – Mathieu van der Poel delivers Jasper Philipsen perfectly but Tour de France win slips away again
Cycling
Mathieu van der Poel believes Alpecin-Premier Tech could have done little more after another carefully constructed lead-out failed to deliver a Tour de France stage victory for Jasper Philipsen.
Van der Poel guided his teammate through the technical finale of Stage 8 and released him with approximately 150 metres remaining, but Philipsen was unable to convert the position into victory. Tim Merlier surged through from behind to win in Bergerac, with Biniam Girmay and Olav Kooij also passing Philipsen before the line.
Alpecin lead-out ends with another missed opportunity
Liam Slock’s long solo attack was neutralised shortly before the final kilometre, leaving the sprint teams to fight for position through two sharp corners. XDS Astana initially controlled the approach for Max Kanter, while Van der Poel moved Philipsen forward at the decisive moment. The Dutchman accelerated through the final corner with his teammate positioned directly behind him.
“In my view, the lead-out was even better than yesterday,” Van der Poel told NOS after the finish. “I didn’t see much of the sprint itself, but I think I pulled off the front with 150 metres remaining. I had to go reasonably deep myself and didn’t see what happened after that.”
Philipsen waited before launching his own effort, while Merlier was already carrying considerable speed from further back. The Belgian swept past the riders ahead to claim his second victory in successive days, leaving Philipsen fourth after he had finished fifth in Bordeaux.
Van der Poel nevertheless defended the work of Alpecin-Premier Tech’s lead-out train. “We were obviously aiming for more than fourth place,” he acknowledged. “But as I said yesterday, I think we executed it well again. There is nothing more we can do.”
Van der Poel senses improvement before breakaway stage
Although the result again fell short of Alpecin-Premier Tech’s expectations, Van der Poel left Stage 8 encouraged by his own physical condition.
The intense heat had troubled him during the opening week, but two relatively controlled sprint stages provided an opportunity to recover after the first mountain test on the Tourmalet. “They were two easier stages, of course, but it is also true that I feel much better on the bike,” he said. “Tomorrow will be a difficult day, probably one for the breakaway.”
Van der Poel stopped short of committing himself to an attack on Stage 9. “I’m taking it day by day. I had good preparation and there is nothing more I can do. Things should continue to improve. Fortunately, I’m at least feeling somewhat better than I did at the beginning of the Tour de France.”
Alpecin-Premier Tech therefore left Bergerac with Philipsen outside the podium for a second successive sprint, but with Van der Poel finally reporting an improvement after his difficult start to the Tour.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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