Mathieu van der Poel feels stronger at Tour de France after superb lead-out: ‘I can’t conjure up anything extra’

Van der Poel surged to the front in the final turn and then took the lead with great panache. “Yes, I felt like the lead-out today was maybe even better than yesterday. But other than that, I didn’t really get to see much of the sprint myself,” he explained to the NOS.

“I think I led the pack until about 150 meters before the finish, if I saw it correctly. And well, I have no idea exactly how the sprint played out after that. I had to push pretty hard myself, so I didn’t look back,” Van der Poel confirmed.

Philipsen couldn’t finish the job and finished fourth. “Yes, of course we were aiming for more, but… Well, as I said yesterday: I think we’re just doing well again, and that’s all we can do,” said the star-studded lead-out train.

Van der Poel wasn’t feeling his best at the start of the Tour, but he’s now on the mend. “Of course, those were two somewhat easier stages, but it’s true that I’m feeling a little better on the bike, at least. Tomorrow will be another tough day, likely for the breakaway, and after that it’s a rest day.”

On the way to Ussel , there’s a transition stage on the schedule, in which Van der Poel might be able to join the early breakaway. Does he see any opportunities? “Yes, I’m just taking it day by day. Like I said: I had a good preparation; that’s all I can do. I can’t just pull something out of thin air, so I’m just taking it day by day and we’ll see. Things will probably go better.”