Van der Poel thanks Visma and shows he is once again a master of the poker game, despite his eagerness beforehand

By his own account, Van der Poel had come through Wednesday’s long day in the rain well. Both Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico were hit by terrible weather this week. “It was a long day with bad weather, but that has become a bit of a trend in Tirreno-Adriatico in recent years,” Van der Poel said before the start of stage four, speaking to Sporza.

Back in 2021, the Dutchman attacked in a long, freezing stage simply because he was cold, but in 2026 he had no intention of repeating those heroics. “I wasted my best form there before San Remo,” he had already admitted earlier this week. So on day four we did not see Van der Poel constantly on the front, but when the race exploded on the final climb, he was exactly where he needed to be.

Van der Poel was clearly motivated before stage four. “There are opportunities. It will be a difficult stage, but there is a chance to come back after the final climb if that is needed,” he said beforehand. In the end, that was not even necessary, because although Visma | Lease a Bike drove the pace hard through Matteo Jorgenson, Van der Poel still crested the final climb with the front group of around a dozen riders.

After Tortoreto, the finale turned into a real poker game, with late attacks and a series of chases. Van der Poel had said before the start that he would “not hold back,” yet he still managed to keep his cards close to his chest. Only once the sprint began to take shape did he fully commit in the final kilometre. “It may well be my last chance for a stage win,” he had said earlier. That was exactly why he raced with such intent.

The sprint itself was impressive. Van der Poel put several bike lengths into the rest and was already able to celebrate before the line, but in the flash interview he still described it as “a very hard day.” “There was a strong breakaway, which meant the pace stayed high all day. In the end, Visma | Lease a Bike did a really good job and I was able to gamble a little, because I had already won a stage.”

Van der Poel once again proved himself a master of the poker game, letting others close the gaps before storming past them in the finale. “I waited for the sprint and I think I did everything perfectly in the final kilometre. I was expecting a late attack from Filippo Ganna, and I knew Visma were going for the sprint with Wout van Aert. That is why I reacted quickly to everything.”

That turned out to be a perfect move. Van Aert closed the gap to Jan Christen of UAE Team Emirates-XRG, allowing Van der Poel to launch from his wheel. “Maybe I went a little too early. Into a headwind, it was still quite far to the finish. Luckily, I made it to the line. It was a flat sprint, but everything before that certainly was not, so it was a hard day. I’m happy I finished it off. I’m in good shape.”