Roxanne Bertels pens beautiful tribute to Mathieu van der Poel after iconic Tour de France win

What an extraordinary adventure Mathieu van der Poel has experienced at the Tour de France. He won two stages, but his victory on the final day in Paris is one that cycling fans will remember for years to come. His partner Roxanne Bertels was there to witness it, and she believes the Dutch rider is the perfect example for their unborn daughter.

Van der Poel first won the stage to Ussel in magnificent fashion, taking the race by the scruff of the neck and using his aggressive style to stay ahead of the peloton. He then proved too fast for his fellow breakaway riders in the sprint. In Paris, he went one better: after what effectively became a two-man time trial with Tadej Pogačar, he narrowly held off the sprinters on the Champs-Élysées to produce an unforgettable finish.

It was fitting reward for Van der Poel, who said after the stage that he had been looking forward to this particular day for an entire year. He had also ridden conservatively during the final week, trying to save as much energy as possible for that one opportunity at the very end of the Tour de France. The reward after all that preparation therefore tasted even sweeter.

Bertels was there again, as she is every year. Van der Poel’s partner can often be found among the team buses, and she regularly welcomes him after he crosses the finish line. She was not alone while following the Tour caravan: Jasper Philipsen’s partner Melanie Peetermans and Jonas Rickaert’s partner Katrijn Boone, who is also pregnant, were with her. “It’s always an incredible adventure to follow the team with the girls during the Tour de France,” Bertels wrote on Instagram.

At the end of June, Bertels and Van der Poel announced that they were expecting their first child. Shortly afterwards, they revealed that they are having a daughter. The former world champion hoped that the prospect of becoming a father would help him during the Tour, and judging by his two stage victories, that appears to have been the case. His second win captured the imagination even more, including for Bertels, who saw in Van der Poel a wonderful role model for their little girl.

“I love you in a way that words will never fully explain. Every part of you fascinates me: your dreams, your strength, your resilience. The list of qualities I hope our daughter inherits from you is endless. But if I could choose just one, it would be your incredible determination — the way you work so hard and never, ever give up.”