“It won't be easy” - Mathieu van der Poel targeting Tour de Suisse stage win as he confirms he arrives in form

Mathieu van der Poel returns to road racing after Paris–Roubaix and tackles the Tour de Suisse as a fresh chance to test his level in a five-day race defined by intensity from the start. On the eve of the event, the Dutch rider outlined his recent preparation, his sensations, and his goals for the week.

The Dutchman returns to action after taking an extended period to train away from the team, before joining his colleagues to fine-tune Tour de Suisse and Tour de France preparations.

Van der Poel first detailed how the past few weeks have unfolded after his post-spring break: “Yes, I took some time off and then put together a solid build-up, first on my own and then with the team in Spain, so I’m ready to race again.”

As for how he feels before lining up, the Dutchman was pleased with the work done in the training block: “We had a very good training camp with the team, Jasper (Philipsen) already took a nice win in Denmark, so hopefully we can do the same here in Switzerland.”

Regarding his expectations for the Tour de Suisse, listed on the calendar as Tour de Suisse, Van der Poel stressed how demanding the race is, especially from day one with five stages kicking off in a puncheur's playground on Wednesday.

Asked about his goals for the week, he was clear that the goal is to raise his arms at the end of one of the days: “Try to win a stage. Of course, it won’t be easy. Every day is very hard, but I think it’s a perfect race.”

The WorldTour race will run from Wednesday to Sunday, but features a mix of opportunities for riders and some shorter, more action-packed, parcours.

He also welcomed the shorter format, with five very intense stages: “It’s not too long. The stages are quite short, so the racing will be intense and I’m looking forward to it.”

Finally, he reflected on his connection with the Swiss race and past experiences in an event that brings back good memories: “It’s been quite a while since I’ve been here, but I have good memories, so hopefully we can make some new ones.”

The Tour de France is right around the corner for Alpecin - Premier Tech. Van der Poel is set to spearhead their line-up alongside Jasper Philipsen, as they arrive with stage wins as their primary objective in July.