Van der Poel forced to leave Tour de France due to pneumonia

“How am I doing after that cold? Not so good,” Van der Poel said on Sunday before stage fifteen. “I'm not recovering very well. So today is a question mark. I'll give it a try, but if I don't feel good, I want to take it easy. With the rest day and Ventoux, I'll have two more days to recover.”

“Then I hope to feel good again,” said the Dutchman. Van der Poel had been stung by an insect a few days earlier, and that was still affecting him. “On Hautacam (Friday, ed.), I was stung next to my eye. It was closed due to the swelling. I felt like my body was fighting to get rid of the poison. It will be fine, but it takes energy, and you need that every day here.”

However, he did not recover sufficiently, as Van der Poel withdrew from the Tour on Tuesday. This brings an end to the Tour adventure of the number three in the points classification, which is, of course, very unfortunate.

"We regret to announce that Van der Poel has to leave the Tour prematurely,’ the Belgian team announced. “Mathieu had been experiencing symptoms of a common cold over the past few days. Yesterday afternoon, his condition began to worsen significantly. The team doctor monitored him closely throughout the day. By the evening, Mathieu developed a fever and was taken to the ‘Centre Hospitalier de Narbonne’ for further examinations."

“Medical tests revealed that Mathieu is suffering from pneumonia. In consultation with the medical staff, it was decided that he can no longer continue the race. His health is the top priority, and rest and recovery are now essential.”

"Mathieu will be required to rest for at least one full week. After this period, he will undergo further medical examinations to assess his recovery and determine the next steps in his rehabilitation."