Van der Poel gears up for Tour in Spain: Back on the road with training buddy

In the Dauphiné, Van der Poel was at the front from start to finish. In the first stage, it was anyone's guess where he would finish after crashing in a mountain bike race shortly before the start, leaving him with a wrist fracture. But his third place there, behind Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard, was a good sign. After five consecutive top-10 finishes, the former world champion ended with an impressive attack in the final stage, where he rode alone at the front for a long time.

Gaining strength was the goal for the French stage race. “That's no longer a problem,” he laughed afterward. “I need a few days to recover, and then I can still train hard on the run-up to the Tour.” He will be doing just that in Spain. The winner of Milan-Sanremo and Paris-Roubaix has a place in Calpe, where he met his regular training buddy Freddy Ovett. The British-Australian cyclist often rides with the Dutchman, and now it was time for another ride.

From Dénia, they set off on an adventure together and covered 113 kilometers. No monster training session for Van der Poel, just a pleasant ride with a friend. An average speed of 32 kilometers per hour and a coffee break in between: that's also part of cycling. Not every training session has to be strenuous, although van der Poel will undoubtedly want to test his legs in the run-up to the Tour de France. A wonderful first week awaits him, with more than enough opportunities to win stages and the yellow jersey.

He won't be going for his own chances alone. The first stage will be a big goal for Alpecin teammate Jasper Philipsen. The Belgian has benefited often enough from the dream lead-out of the 31-year-old star, and Van der Poel will be doing the work there, too. “I have to seize every opportunity,” Philipsen said after his stage win in the Baloise Belgium Tour. “I hope to be able to do that more often in the second half of the season when there will be more sprint opportunities.”