Mathieu van der Poel returns to the Mûr-de-Bretagne today in the yellow jersey, where he won a stage in the Tour de France for the first time in 2021. For that reason, the climb has a special place in his heart.
The symbolism is dripping from it: Van der Poel in the yellow jersey on the Mûr-de-Bretagne. Yet he shrugs his shoulders at it when he is reminded of it shortly after the thrilling denouement of Thursday – in which he takes the yellow jersey from Tadej Pogacar by one second.
“I’m not thinking about that yet after a tough day,” he tells reporters. A little later he sees the value in it, but he expresses himself modestly. “It’s nice to go to the Mûr-de-Bretagne in yellow. It is a special place for me.”
Four years ago, Van der Poel impressively won his first Tour stage on the 2-kilometer climb on the French west coast. He arrived solo, which also saw him conquer the yellow leader’s jersey in the world’s biggest cycling race.
It is an iconic moment in Dutch cycling history. Many cycling fans still remember how the then 26-year-old Van der Poel points his finger to the sky, dedicating the victory to his deceased grandfather Raymond Poulidor. Poulidor was one of the best riders ever who never rode in the yellow jersey.
Van der Poel was exhausted after the hilly stage on Thursday. For the first time in his career, he even felt cramps coming on. As a result, he does not seem to be able to play a major role on the Mûr-de-Bretagne. His margin over the superior Pogacar in the standings is only one second.
Van der Poel has little faith that he can keep the yellow jersey on Friday. “If Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard attack, it will be very difficult for me to follow. I may only have the yellow jersey for one day.”
It was striking on Thursday that Van der Poel was involved in the sprint for the green points jersey. After his teammate Jasper Philipsen dropped out, he appears to have to compete for the final victory in the points classification from the team management.
“It is clear that we are working on it,” team boss Christoph Roodhooft told the NOS. “It is crazy to just put that aside, a points classification in the Tour. Without Jasper, there are opportunities for Mathieu. And the Tour course this year is more suitable for a rider like Mathieu than for a sprinter.”
Van der Poel seems to be doing it reluctantly. “The team insisted that I participate.” He is second in the points classification at the start of the seventh stage. He has four points less than leader Jonathan Milan.