Sports director Roodhooft reluctant to set expectations for van der Poel on Mur de Bretagne after tough day

Sports director Christoph Roodhooft told his story at the Belgian team's bus. “It was a very challenging stage, and whether you weigh 80 or 60 kilograms makes a big difference. Mathieu also gave a lot to make that breakaway happen and get it going.”

“It was no coincidence that he was there,” said the experienced sports director. “Mathieu initiated the breakaway himself and kept pushing to ensure it worked.” Van der Poel ultimately finished four minutes behind stage winner Ben Healy, who pulled away in the final hour of the race.

The Alpecin-Deceuninck staff in the car didn't immediately think it would be so exciting. “We thought it was a done deal, but the peloton got going again. You can't influence that. Mathieu was pretty exhausted.”

“Of course, we have no control over what the peloton does. We were also aware that the final kilometer was extremely tough,” said Roodhooft, who does not want to make any predictions for Friday's stage to Mur de Bretagne. “Everything will depend on Mathieu's recovery. We have to see how that goes.”

Along the way, Van der Poel also revealed another goal by picking up points for the green jersey in the intermediate sprint. "It's clear that we're going for green, but we'll have to see how that evolves. It's not something to rule out entirely because it's a points classification in the Tour. No reason to dismiss it, and this year's Tour route is more suited to a rider like him than a sprinter."