Van der Poel frustrated about his own level: ‘I don’t know the reason’ cycling

Nota bene in the region where he is normally so strong, he played no part in the stage victory. Van der Poel said he can only hope that it will get better. “Otherwise it will be a long Tour for me.”

He seems to realize more and more that things have been going wrong for some time now. Van der Poel even reported on Wednesday that he had not felt top fit in the Giro d’Italia. “Even though I take the pink jersey there on the first day and I was often involved in breakouts later, even in the last week. But often I was also the first rider to get off.”

A training camp in Livigno after the Giro hadn’t given him the right feeling either. “Actually, I only felt good at home in the week before the Tour. Then I had the idea that I started to drive better and better. In the Tour the time trial was disappointing, after that the days were quite calm. But in the drive to Calais I already noticed that I was falling short. That turned out to be the case today as well.”

Van der Poel called it “frustrating” that he does not reach the level that he has in mind. “I just hope it gets better. I don’t know the reason either. That makes it even more annoying.”