Adrie van der Poel delivers the perfect reaction after Mathieu’s Tour de France stage win
CyclingSunday, 12 July 2026 at 21:06
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Follow us on GoogleWhen Mathieu van der Poel won the sprint from the breakaway a little further down the road, cheers erupted behind the Alpecin-Premier Tech team bus. His father, Adrie van der Poel, had watched the stage from inside the bus, and the broad smile and clenched fist he showed the approaching journalists told the whole story. Or rather, almost the whole story: Van der Poel senior still had plenty of memorable words to share.
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“This is fantastic, isn’t it?” Van der Poel senior said with delight. “It wasn’t as though you could say it was coming, but over the last two or three days you could see that he was improving. And we know him a little: when Mathieu sets his mind on something, he is often very close. He wanted to win, but you still have to make the right breakaway and be there with the right riders.”
“Fortunately, Lidl-Trek in the peloton behind were also on their limit, which meant he could play a little more poker in the sprint,” he continued. “But the big advantage today was that everyone in the break had to keep riding because there was so much pressure from behind. I understand why Netcompany INEOS chased; they had not won a stage yet either. You can see from our reaction that our Tour de France is now a success. Anything else is a bonus.”
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According to Van der Poel senior, “the pressure is off.” He added: “Although I don’t think Mathieu needed this victory after the spring he had. I don’t know whether some of you have already forgotten certain things, but he had an incredibly strong spring. He was one of the very best at Paris–Roubaix and twice came up against an exceptionally strong Tadej Pogacar. That has motivated him to try to become even better.”
Continue reading below the photo
Mathieu van der Poel won Stage 9 of the Tour de France
Adrie van der Poel steals the show at the team bus
“I’m incredibly happy. There are very few opportunities for Mathieu at this Tour de France, perhaps only two. So he is already at 50 per cent,” Adrie said. “This isn’t football, with Team A against Team B and one winner. There are 180 riders here, and that does not make it easy. Mathieu was in genuinely good condition, but he was still missing that final sharpness. After eight days, perhaps he had also become a little better at coping with the heat.”
Adrie also suggested that his son may be even more motivated when a genuine opportunity presents itself. “We needed this one to be in a good place for the next two weeks.” Or, as he also told NOS: “In the opening days, Mathieu might be able to finish tenth or fifteenth if he hangs on, but that is not what he is here for.”
“Mathieu can do much more uphill than people think. But quite often he simply doesn’t feel like doing it. These were not true mountains, but he can also handle climbs at six or seven per cent; that is simply a matter of producing the watts. Today, though, he knew: if I am at the front with the right riders here, then I have a real chance.”
Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
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Latest Comments
- No teammates on the Tourmalet. Too fast up the Tourmalet.
merganzer10-07-2026 - Reef is whistling past the graveyard by denying what was plain to see: Tadej crushed Jonas, beating him in the ascent and, even more decisively on the descent, where most of the gap was created. In the world of reality, rather than the fantsay that Reef related, Jonas will not become a better descender between now and Paris, and Tadej won't get less adept at the skill. Moreover, it wasn't only about the mano y mono, between the two Tour leaders, but the unraveling of Visma, and the dominance of UAE, especially IDT. Barring injury or some other anomalous occurrence, we'll look back at Tadej's win on stage six as the day he won the 2026 TDF.rjb10-07-2026
- Remco continues alternating between Dr. Jekyl and, as he did today post-race, Mr. Hyde, lashing out as others for not racing according to his preferences. This isn't the first time he's complained about opponents' tactics, but it's the first time I've heard him do it to a teammate, and that lack of discretion and team loyalty may come back to haunt him. I though he'd outgrown these childish pouts; obviously, I was mistaken.rjb10-07-2026
- - How many times has Pog actually worn yellow now? The article hints he’s lost count—anyone got the exact stat?robert6506-07-2026
- - Unreal start to the Tour: two punches in three days. If he’s taking yellow this early, the real game is load management before the first true summit finish.davidm06-07-2026
- - Grandissimo Tadej! Maillot jaune meritato, squadra perfetta oggi.sprocketspiny06-07-2026
- - Not sure I buy the “nothing really tough” description. 3,850m of climbing in that heat is brutal, even if the gradients aren’t HC. Felt a bit dismissive.cadencekingm06-07-2026
- - Pogacar’s humour about the gels was gold. Also, nice to see him credit Del Toro. That Barcelona gesture coming back today was a proper team arc.michael5406-07-2026
- - Quick question: when they say “break got a free pass” by Visma, does that mean Visma just stopped chasing completely? Or is it more like they eased but still controlled the gap?velodromevirtuoso106-07-2026
- - Sorry, but the piece glosses over how Vermeersch shredded the gap. That was the hinge of the stage. Give him more credit than a single line.raceready706-07-2026
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