"Van der Poel was good, but not brilliant" - Michel Wuyts hopes Mathieu van der Poel will improve at Tour de France
Cycling
Mathieu van der Poel has had a flawless preparation for Tour de France. After some bad luck at Dwars door het Hageland, the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider won a stage and general classification of Baloise Belgium Tour. Dutch championship was a bit of a disappointment, but Van der Poel never really got a chance against tactically well prepared Jumbo-Visma. Michel Wuyts discusses his chances at Tour de France in Wuyts & Vlaeminck podcast.
Although Wuyts has no doubts that Van der Poel will take a stage, he certainly does not see an unapproachable rider. "I am very happy that he is there, he will undoubtedly provide fireworks and win a stage. In Baloise Belgium Tour, however, he could have been caught. In the stage in and around Durbuy, where he forced the decision, the young riders of Trek-Segafredo refused to work together efficiently. They didn't close the gap, purely out of selfishness. That Van der Poel was good, but not brilliant."
"You also saw that in the Dutch championship," Wuyts therefore has doubts, but expects Van der Poel to improve. "Although you have to assume that the big men will have another layer on top towards the Tour de France. You can now also see that in Van Baarle and Van Aert."
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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