Tour boss responds to criticism from Vingegaard and Van der Poel, who gets praise in return: "Watching him race is just fantastic"

“I’m excited about what this opening has in store,” Prudhomme began his conversation with De Telegraaf. “I used the term ‘the first week of the plains’ to mislead the eye. If you look at the stage locations, at first glance you’d think it’s a Tour like twenty years ago. Eight days for the sprinters, but the opposite is true.”

“I think the teams that have scouted the stages have an undeniable advantage over those who haven’t,” he continued. “There are no long climbs, but we will immediately see a battle between Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard, just wait. And Remco Evenepoel will also have to get involved in the battle.”

Prudhomme indicates that the Tour organization – of course – prefers a fight for the yellow jersey all the way to Paris. He expects a lot from Visma | Lease a Bike. “Because that team is well-prepared for these kinds of hard-to-read stages, and they always have very strong race knowledge. But surprises are possible too, and with Pogacar there’s always something happening. He’s a champion who attacks whenever he sees a chance to put his rivals behind. In the first ten stages, I can definitely see him taking the initiative.”

Tour boss Christian Prudhomme also hopes that Remco Evenepoel will have a good Tour de France. “The 33-kilometer time trial is in his favor, and he can draw a lot of confidence from that to also be strong in the high mountains. A lot depends on what the team can do for him. I see the same for Vingegaard. For him, it’s to be hoped that Wout van Aert has recovered from his illness, because he can be the difference between winning and losing for Vingegaard,” Prudhomme explained the Belgian’s crucial role.

There was quite a bit of criticism from Vingegaard towards the Tour organization, as the Dane spoke out against adding the climb to Montmartre in the final stage. The Tour boss understands the criticism. “I completely understand him, just like I understood the riders who weren’t happy that we included cobblestones or gravel again. Voila, that’s part of it, but I have no doubt it’s going to be great,” he told Eurosport.

In that final stage, Mathieu van der Poel might just try something. “The fact that he’s here again immediately makes me smile,” Prudhomme said with praise. “Just saying his name brings joy. We saw him attacking every day recently in the Dauphiné. Watching that man race is simply fantastic. His presence is an added value for the Tour.”

“He rode his first Tour de France in 2021 and spent six dazzling days in the yellow jersey,” the Frenchman recalled fondly. “With everything that came with it, also because of his grandfather, the late French cycling legend Raymond Poulidor, who passed away in 2019. That made it one of the most emotional moments of my time as Tour director.”

Prudhomme predicts a very exciting Tour for Van der Poel. “Listen… Mathieu is capable of single-handedly making a race thrilling, and in this case, the entire first week of the Tour. I don’t think I’m taking much of a risk by saying that my gut feeling is that Mathieu will stand on the top step of the podium after one of those early stages.”

Kind words for the Dutchman, but he himself had a critical note. As is known, the peloton during this Tour has been expanded from 22 to 23 teams. That means 8 extra riders in the peloton, something Van der Poel isn’t happy about. “It will always be unsafe in the peloton,” Van der Poel said at the Tour’s press conference. “Often it also comes down to the riders’ behavior. That’s normal, because everyone is fighting for the same position and there’s very little space.”

Commercially, it’s an understandable move: more riders means more sponsors, more viewers, and more spectacle. “But I think increasing the peloton size is a mistake,” said the Alpecin-Deceuninck leader. The UCI is already working hard on safety measures: they’re introducing GPS trackers, revising barriers, and extending the 3-kilometer rule. But Van der Poel sees a simple solution. “Fewer teams and fewer riders would make the biggest difference.”