No Tour stress for van der Poel: He'll ride the Dauphiné as his build-up to yellow continues

Everyone was surprised when he crashed during his beloved mountain biking. The verdict: a fracture in his wrist. This immediately set off alarm bells, as the Tour is fast approaching. Fortunately, hopeful images appeared on Instagram, showing the Dutch all-rounder back on the rollers just a few days later with a brace on his wrist.

It was a positive sign, and it is now clear that the damage was indeed minor. However, there was some doubt about his preparation for the Tour de France: would he be able to get into a racing rhythm before La Grande Boucle? For a moment, it looked like he would miss out on proper preparation.

But nothing could be further from the truth. The Alpecin-Deceuninck rider will be at the start of the Critérium du Dauphiné on Sunday, his team announced on Instagram. "Great news! Mathieu van der Poel has recovered sufficiently from his wrist injury and will line up at the start of the Critérium du Dauphiné this weekend."

And that's not only good news for his fans but also for van der Poel himself. We saw this spring what a series of races leading up to a major goal can do for him. And the Tour de France just happens to have a first week that is right up his alley. Will we see another duel with Wout van Aert? It could very well happen — and that sounds promising.