Mathieu van der Poel sees pattern emerging in Tirreno-Adriatico after long, cold day

Both Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico have again been hit by miserable weather. “It was a long day with bad weather, but that has become a bit of a trend in Tirreno-Adriatico in recent years,” Van der Poel said before stage four in comments to Sporza.

Back in 2021, the Dutchman rode away in one of those long, freezing stages because he was simply cold, but he has no intention of repeating those efforts in 2026. Earlier this week, he had already admitted: “I wasted my best form there before San Remo.” See also: Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert admit: “I wasted my best form there before San Remo”.

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That does not make him any less motivated for stage four. “There are opportunities. It will be a difficult stage, but there is a chance to come back after the final climb if that is needed,” he said while looking ahead.

“I will not hold back, because that is not why I am here,” added an eager Van der Poel. “It may well be my last chance to win a stage. As a team, we will definitely try to make something of it.”

In the finale, he may well run into rival Wout van Aert. “I recovered well from yesterday’s stage. It was an enormously long day, but not that hard. Luckily it was not super cold. Yes, I came through the stage well,” Van Aert said.

“I had already marked this stage at the beginning of the week, and this is a stage that should suit me. The finale is tough, with several climbs. For some sprinters that may be too much, and then we arrive on terrain that fits me.”