Next to a Vluchtheuvel in the center of Boulogne-sur-Mer, Mathieu van der Poel lies on the ground. Another time, just as he was on the asphalt after he won the Amstel Gold Race in 2019 after an inimitable catch -up race. Or like in 2021, when he rolled exhausted on his back after a successful solo of fifty kilometers in Tirreno-Adriatico.
Again Van der Poel has added a special victory to his honors list. The second stage of the Tour of 2025 – with 209 kilometers the longest in the route book and with three common steep hills in the final just a spring classic – was for him, after an alpha print with classification men Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard. It also earned the Dutchman the yellow jersey, which he took over from teammate Jasper Philipsen.
Van der Poel was looking forward to this Tour de France, he said last week. That has been different in the past. For the past two years, the Dutchman has been one of the greatest critics of the trailers of the Tour de France. In his eyes there were few stages in which he had a chance. And if he can’t win, then Van der Poel doesn’t like it.
Under the beautifully decorated vaults of the opera in Lille, however, the Dutchman turned out to look forward to this year last Thursday. “It is a nice first week that is coming,” he said, referring to at least four stages in the first ten days with short climbs in the final, who are fooled with his explosive gear.
Traffic infarction
Van der Poel started the second stage as a big favorite, and he did not wait longer than necessary to satisfy his need for victories. Although it took Sunday morning before the ride could start. In the starting place Lauwin-Planque, a village of just under 1,600 inhabitants, it seemed as if the peloton had ended up again in the Flemish spring. It was raining cats and dogs and the only access road to the hamlet could not handle the arrival of the Tourcircus at all. As a result, the riders started fifteen minutes later; The team buses were simply not on time at the start. After the peloton had left, tractors had to pull the cars and buses of the Tour organization and journalists out of the mud.
In the pre -final, which carried hills of the opal coast with fields and grain fields, Van der Poel skilfully resisted any attack. And on the treacherous sharp -running road to the finish, he remained patient, he was the first to send the last corner, and then had just enough left to stay ahead of Pogacar in the sprint.
“I had not explored the three penultimate climbs, they were heavier than I expected,” said Van der Poel afterwards, a bright new yellow sweater on his shoulders. “Fortunately I was able to survive that phase, and when the last kilometer started, I knew what to do. Be the first to go the last corner, and then it was only 150 meters.”
It was the second time that Van der Poel won a Tour stage, after he was the best on the Mur-de-Bretagne in 2021. “It was already four years since I last won here, so it was time again.”
Other preparation
Van der Poel further said that he had struggled with his performance in the Tour in recent years. While he could regularly peak just before or after the largest cycling race of the year, with the world title in 2023 as the best example, that did not work in the Tour de France.
Mathieu van der Poel after his stage victory on stage in the yellow leader’s jersey.
“That’s why we tried another preparation this year,” said Van der Poel. He copied his training course to the classic spring, with first a height train and then a one -week stage race to get in top form. A few weeks ago Van der Poel lost another sprint of Pogacar and Vingegaard in the criterion du Dauphiné, now he defeated them. “So that has been a good choice.”
For his Belgian team Alpecin-DECEUNINCK, the double party was this opening weekend of the Tour, after Sprinter Philipsen won the opening ride. “Yes Matje!”, The Belgian shouted on Sunday after the finish, and then giving the Ramped Van der Poel a big hug. “I have the idea that our entire team has a better condition at the start of the Tour than last year,” said team leader Philippe Roodhooft at the bus. “And it is clear that it all works for us at the moment.”
‘Dream for our team’
For a long time Van der Poel thought that Philipsen could stay in the yellow jersey, helped by the headwind that pressed the pace on the climbs in the final. But when the climbs were disappointing and the Belgian fell behind, Van der Poel went for his own chance. “This is a dream for our team, and everything that is coming today is a bonus.”
Everything is still possible for Van der Poel. This year he has been seriously trained on time trial for the first time, which comes in handy to keep the yellow sweater if a time trial of 33 kilometers in Caen is on the program next Wednesday. Van der Poel denied last week with that thought of having practiced time trial. “I did ride the time trial bike for another hour, but I think the time trial is too long to keep the yellow sweater.”
Above all, there are three stages (4, 6 and 7) this week with similar final phases as Sunday, ending with the seventh stage next Friday on the Mûr-de-Bretagne. “It will be nice to return there, that is a special place for me,” said Van der Poel, “but I think there are quite a few opportunities for me.”