Van der Poel and Alpecin-Premier Tech sharpen team time trial ahead of Tour de France

It has been a while since we last saw Mathieu van der Poel in race action. While his teammates were grinding away in the Giro d’Italia, it was quiet from the Dutchman. He is preparing for the Tour de France, and on Sunday he shared images of an Alpecin-Premier Tech team time trial practise run.

Van der Poel, as usual, made the spring a major target. The 31-year-old superstar was at the sharp end of every race, but for the first time since 2020 he failed to win a Monument. He finished eighth in Milan-Sanremo after a crash, second in the Tour of Flanders, and fourth in Paris-Roubaix after two punctures in the Arenburg Forest.

It was a disappointing haul, despite the former world champion’s superb way of racing. After a spring that began at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and ended in the Roubaix velodrome, it was time for Van der Poel to rest for a while: he would not be seen racing again for a long time. He withdrew and limited himself to training in Spain.

So he went gravel riding in Girona with his mate Freddy Ovett, but also hit golf balls with former footballer Wesley Sonck. It has now been a month and a half since we last saw him on a road bike, so when will he be back? Van der Poel has now confirmed his participation in the Tour de France, but the Tour of Switzerland is also hopeful that he will start there.

Anyway: the next goal is the Tour, which starts in Barcelona. The second stage, with the multiple passages over the tough Montjuïc as the focal point, is a stage that should suit the Dutch rider extremely well. But to take the yellow there, he and his team must first perform a miracle in a team time trial through the Catalan capital.

And that takes practice. Van der Poel and his teammates did just that, practicing on the joint ride against the clock. The Belgian team is at training camp, and picked up the time trial bike there, Van der Poel shared on Instagram. Should the Alpecin-Premier Tech leader really have yellow dreams again, it is definitely needed. In any case, we can't wait for July 4!