Roxanne Bertels opens up about life with Mathieu van der Poel: ‘Being there in the bad moments matters most’

Sammy Neyrinck has produced a feature for Sporza with Roxanne Bertels, Katryn Boone and Melanie Peetermans. The partners of respective Alpecin-Premier Tech riders Mathieu van der Poel, Jonas Rickaert and Jasper Philipsen are also at the Tour de France, where they spoke to the Belgian journalist about life alongside three professional riders.

Neyrinck asks the women whether the cliché that behind every strong rider stands a strong woman is true. “You simply have to make sure you are there during the good moments, but especially during the bad moments. That is even more important than anything else,” Bertels responds in the feature.

“Whether you are with a professional cyclist or, tomorrow, with a lawyer who has a demanding job or a doctor, you are simply expected to stand by your partner,” Bertels continues. “It is really rewarding to be able to take care of someone — and to have the opportunity to do so.”

When Neyrinck asks the women what truly makes their partners happy, Peetermans answers on Philipsen’s behalf with a Bicky Burger, a popular Belgian fast-food snack. “I probably make mine happiest with a day on the golf course,” Bertels says with a laugh. “But that has nothing to do with racing.”

The feature was filmed after Stage 8, which had been a particularly stressful day for Philipsen’s partner. The Belgian sprinter eventually finished fourth. “I thought it was quite a tricky finale. I’m extremely happy there were no crashes. That meant my stress level was a little higher than usual,” Peetermans explains, understandably.