Philippe Gilbert backs the UCI over Van der Poel fine: 'More than enough time to put a shirt on'

Mathieu van der Poel is hard at work preparing for opening weekend of the 2026 Tour de France, which starts with a team time trial. Last week, he showed this preparation is going well, with a fantastic time trial at the Tour de Suisse. He was only beatn by Pogačar, and only by 0.3 of a second. Afterward, however, he was fined by the UCI not wearing a shirt in the hot seat. Many thought it was nonsense, but Philippe Gilbert, of all people, has sided with the UCI.

Van der Poel isn’t exactly known as a time trial specialist, but he can certainly put out enormous power. In the fourth stage, he showed he had taken another step forward: he rode an incredible time trial and was the fastest at the finish. In the end, only Tadej Pogacar beat his time, but the Dutch rider from Alpecin-Premier Tech held the hot seat for a long time.

That wasn’t the most comfortable place to be. It was hot—very hot—at the Tour de Suisse. Riders had been complaining about the heat for days, the temperature was well over thirty degrees. Van der Poel had just ridden his heart out, and then had to take his place on the hot seat in an uncooled tent. He did so without a shirt, which earned him a fine of 500 Swiss francs.

Gilbert explains why he supports the UCI’s fine. “He was in the hot seat for at least 30 minutes,” the Walloon said on the Dans le Peloton podcast. “He had more than enough time to put on a jersey. From a publicity standpoint for his team, it’s very important. There are teams that dream of appearing live in front of millions of people.”

Gilbert speaks from experience, because during his time as a cyclist, the importance of proper attire was always emphasized. “It’s not good. In the various teams we rode for, it was always frowned upon when photos appeared in which we weren’t fully dressed.”

In the same podcast, former teammate Frédéric Amorison speaks out strongly against the sanctions. The Belgian, who spent much of his career riding for Lanbouwkrediet-Colnago, doesn’t see why Van der Poel had to be punished. The circumstances spoke for themselves. “Some riders have to wait minutes, even hours,” he says.

In his view, the concept of a hot seat is outdated. “Should we still be asking riders in 2026, during a stage race, to sit in that hot seat for hours on end? What’s the point of that? Most of them would rather be in their team bus, where it’s cool. These were extreme conditions. We need to move with the times. It was indeed as if Mathieu were on the beach, but perhaps this wasn’t necessary.”