His impressive list of achievements includes nine victories in the Vuelta a España. This weekend, Tilburger Jean-Paul van Poppel is going to watch his two sons who start in Den Bosch and Breda in the Vuelta. Five questions for the 59-year-old former top sprinter.
How do you view the Vuelta?
“It’s always fun and I follow Danny and Boy very enthusiastically. I will be at the start in Den Bosch on Saturday, then I will watch the final at home. I’ll be watching on Sunday too. Usually speak to them via WhatsApp. Sometimes daily, especially in such a big round because they experience all kinds of things. Danny, who rides for Bora-Hansgrohe, won a stage in the Vuelta in 2015 but this is his best season yet. Boy doesn’t drive many big races, his Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert team isn’t that strong in width either.”
What does it mean that the Vuelta runs through Brabant?
“In the Netherlands you are always received with great enthusiasm as a rider. In Brabant it is always something more special. It will be a big party in Den Bosch and Breda.”
The Vuelta seems to have less prestige than Tour and Giro. How do you see that?
“When I turned pro, you always heard about the Vuelta a day later. Later there were live broadcasts. Now you can follow it closely. And because the Vuelta has been moved from spring to September, the prestige has also increased. It may not be quite the prestige that the Giro has yet, but it’s getting close. It is also up to us, because it becomes more interesting if the Dutch do well.”
You have won nine Vuelta stages. What do you think about most?
“I left for Spain late. In 1991 I had been a pro for seven years. You had to ride for a team that happened to have interests in Spain. PDM had that. I think it’s a very nice round with an enthusiastic audience. There are good hotels, but the food was a bit less. In my first Vuelta I won all four bunch sprints. That was very special for me, here it was less noticeable because Mathieu Hermans won six stages the year before. I sometimes hear from my boys that Spaniards are enthusiastic about the name Van Poppel.”
Who is going to win?
“Ecuadorian Carapaz and Australian Hindley are among the favourites, but I’m going for Slovenian Primoz Roglic. After his crash in the Tour de France, he can straighten something out, if he is fit again. It is important not to lose too much time in the first week. He has to watch out for the arrivals in the Netherlands because they are erratic.”
Four people from Brabant are participating in the Vuelta that starts on Friday in Utrecht.
- Sam Oomen (Jumbo Visma)
- Mike Teunissen (Jumbo-Visma)
- Danny van Poppel (Bora-Hansgrohe)
- Boy van Poppel (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert)
Omroep Brabant will be online live on Saturday and Sunday at the start of the stages in Den Bosch and Breda. There will be an extra broadcast on television before the start in Breda on Sunday. The sports program De Zuidtribune comes from Breda on Sunday afternoon.