Dumoulin analyzes important Tour time trial together with Van der Poel: "It’s actually pretty easy"

“Not really,” Van der Poel admits when asked if he has already looked at the time trial route in Caen. “I’ll go check it out early in the morning. You’ve already done a recon. Any tips?” the yellow jersey wearer asks Dumoulin.

“It’s actually quite easy,” analyzes the former Giro winner. “You ride a bit out of the city. There are some twists and turns, but it’s all uphill, so it’s not really technical. After that, you just go on for a long time through the cornfields…” Van der Poel then interrupts Dumoulin: “A power time trial?” The Dutch ex-rider nods in agreement.

What does the yellow jersey wearer think about the time trial? "I’m going to give it everything, but I think it will be very difficult against the specialists anyway. I’m going to enjoy it, and I’m happy that I can at least ride the time trial still wearing the yellow jersey."

On Monday, Van der Poel also had a busy evening schedule ahead. "The suit will be there (the time trial suit to try on, ed.), and I still need to eat and get a massage..." After some laughter, Dumoulin wished his compatriot good luck.

And Van der Poel will need it. The Alpecin-Deceuninck star is in the same time as Tadej Pogacar, has an eight-second lead on Jonas Vingegaard, and just under a minute on Remco Evenepoel. The Dutchman will need a massive feat on Wednesday to keep his leader’s jersey.