Mathieu van der Poel's mood proved to be a prelude to Tour de France success: 'It certainly wasn’t fun'
CyclingMonday, 13 July 2026 at 09:57
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Follow us on GoogleWhen Mathieu van der Poel sets his sights on something, he’s often not far from victory. And so, at Alpecin-Premier Tech, the team headed into the team cars for Stage 9 feeling very confident, after seeing and hearing from their team leader. A victory in the Tour de France was the goal for Sunday, and they achieved it with flying colours.
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When Van der Poel passed through the mixed zone on Sunday afternoon, he had to stop at least six times. Everyone had him pegged for the ninth stage of the Tour, and he himself had high expectations as well. “We’ll see how it goes, because it’s a tough stage either way. I think there will be a big battle for the breakaway. The fact that the stage has been shortened by 30 kilometers won’t make much of a difference.”
With temperatures above 40 degrees, Van der Poel replied, seemingly cool and eager: “I don’t know if you can ever fully get used to such temperatures, because they’re extreme conditions. But the day before the rest day is often a very tough stage, so I think everyone has prepared for a long and hard race.”
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Mathieu van der Poel
Alpecin-Premier Tech saw a focused and playful Van der Poel
Van der Poel was certainly ready for it, and the team had already noticed that. In addition to two strong lead-outs for Jasper Philipsen in Stages 7 and 8, he also came out of his shell off the bike. “Morale has always remained high, and Mathieu helps keep it that way with his jokes—they have a lot of fun together,” observed team director Frederik Willems in an interview with IDL Pro Cycling.
"He was a bit quieter the first two days, but he’s really come into his own now," said the Belgian, who saw a focused team leader on the bus before the start of Stage 9. "Mathieu listened very carefully during today’s meeting, paying attention to every detail. He’d already done a good lead-out the last two days, so we were pretty confident."
Team manager Christoph Roodhooft was also optimistic about the stage. “Over the past two days, there were a lot of positive signs from him, so we were quietly hopeful on the bus this morning that he’d be in the lead group. He was really strong and even broke up the lead group again on that final climb. He found himself in a situation where he rarely comes up short.”
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Alpecin-Premier Tech finally wins in the first week of the Tour de France
"It doesn't really keep me up at night that everyone's right on my wheel," Van der Poel said before the start. He demonstrated that perfectly. With every attack, fewer riders were able to keep up, and the sprint was impressive. “It was a really great one, that’s for sure. I’m really happy with it,” said Roodhooft. “The stage was shortened, but it was still extremely tough.”
"Mathieu was also very happy about it, especially since we came into the Tour in top form and things just weren't going our way in the first few days," the Belgian team manager reflected on eight days without a victory. “That’s not fun, after all the work you’ve put into it. There was no doubt, but it certainly wasn’t fun. To be able to head into the rest day like that is pretty special, after all.”
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Van der Poel and his team are aiming for more in the Tour de France
Van der Poel’s victory is one that already makes the Tour de France a success for the team, but at the same time, it leaves them hungry for more. “We still have ambitions. Of course, this makes up for a lot, but I hope this is just the beginning,” Roodhooft said ambitiously. “He’s a special rider, isn’t he? That was proven once again today.”
Van der Poel dug in for the stage and never let up. Suddenly, his legs were turning, and the heat no longer seemed to bother him—as Willems also noticed. “I think he learned a lot from last year’s Tour de France, and the fact that he lives in Spain certainly helps a lot when it comes to the heat. Of course, 40+ is extreme for everyone.”
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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