Adrie van der Poel sees Mathieu improving after quiet Tour de France: ‘It’s heading in the right direction’

So far, this has not been the Tour de France of Mathieu van der Poel. We did see him produce an excellent lead-out on Friday, but otherwise the Dutchman has rarely been visible at the front of the race. His father, Adrie van der Poel, believes the situation is beginning to turn in his son’s favour. Van der Poel senior is confident that MVDP will still get his opportunities.

We have not seen much of Van der Poel in this Tour de France, then, but that was something he had partly expected before the race. “There wasn’t really much for me to do beforehand either. In hindsight, things might perhaps have gone a little better, but I think the only real opportunity so far was the stage Mads Pedersen won—Stage 4, ed. I simply wasn’t good enough that day,” MVDP said ahead of Stage 7.

The biggest reason for that appears to be the heat. “But of course, that is the same for everyone. Some riders simply cope with it better than others. You cannot change anything about it anyway, so it is just a matter of waiting and seeing,” Van der Poel said on Friday.

On Saturday, ahead of Stage 8, Van der Poel offered a similar assessment to Sporza. He could also take some satisfaction from Alpecin-Premier Tech’s work during Stage 7. “We almost did it perfectly yesterday. It might have been just a little too early, but if Jasper had had the legs, it would certainly have been possible.”

“In the chaos, we are the best team, but achieving perfection is always difficult. There isn’t that much wrong with Jasper, but I don’t have the best legs myself either,” Van der Poel said as he reflected on the sprint. The Dutchman is still finding the race difficult, particularly because of the high temperatures. “The past few days have taken their toll. Even when we are not being shown on television, we are suffering as well. You carry that fatigue with you. Some riders struggle with it more than others.”

Adrie van der Poel also offered his assessment. “Before the race, he had already seen that many of the stages—despite what was being written about them—would be touch and go for him.” Nevertheless, he believes the situation is beginning to improve for his son. “Yesterday and the day before, I got the impression that things were moving in the right direction. I believe it will come.”

Van der Poel senior also knows how difficult the heat can be. “But everyone is suffering. The advantage is that the riders are now beginning to acclimatise to it, although some cope with it better than others.” According to Adrie, the key is to remain patient rather than forcing an opportunity. “There are still stages to come that should suit him.”