Mathieu van der Poel surprised in the Tour de France on Sunday with an attack of more than 170 kilometers. His colleagues are deeply impressed. “It can never be a quiet day.”
The flat stage to Châteauroux had barely started when the Belgian Jonas Rickaert launched an attack. A few moments later, his leader Van der Poel followed. The two Alpecin-Deceuninck riders started a remarkable time trial as a duo.
Danny van Poppel saw it happen from the peloton. “In the beginning, I didn’t know what Mathieu was going to do,” the Dutchman from Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe told the NOS after the stage. “I think he was bored. But they were riding incredibly fast.”
There was no reaction behind them, so Van der Poel and Rickaert built up a lead of more than five minutes. The Lidl-Trek helpers of top sprinter Jonathan Milan then settled at the head of the peloton.
Their team leader Steven de Jongh knew it would be a task to reel in the two escapees. “Few teams wanted to help,” said the Dutch former professional. “If these two men ride ahead, other teams have to help. One team can’t do it.”
Van der Poel caught by peloton just before finish after spectacular attack
Pogacar: ‘This was quite a flight’
De Jongh was proven right. Van der Poel and Rickaert put up a remarkably good fight against the peloton. With 15 kilometers to go, the lead of the two was still about one and a half minutes.
Tadej Pogacar had a tough day in the peloton because of this. “It was an incredible attack, from both of them,” said the Slovenian wearer of the yellow jersey. “It seems like they can never take it easy. They are crazy. Because this was quite a flight.”
De Jongh had never seen anything like it either. “We were on the verge of stopping riding. And maybe we should have done that,” said the Lidl-Trek team leader. “Then it would have been for Van der Poel.”
Van Poppel: ‘We were hoping for a quiet day’
With only a few kilometers to go, Rickaert let go and Van der Poel tried it solo, but he fought an unfair battle. The Dutchman was caught 750 meters from the finish line. Tim Merlier then sprinted to the stage victory. Milan was second.
Yet the action of Van der Poel and Rickaert was not in vain. The Belgian had been dreaming of being on the Tour podium for some time. That mission has been accomplished, because Rickaert received the prize for combativity. Van der Poel was visibly happy for his teammate. The two embraced after the finish.
Their colleagues could catch their breath in the meantime. “We were all suffering in the peloton,” Pogacar said with admiration. “So I can’t even imagine how it must have felt up front.”
“I think everyone had hoped for a quiet day,” Van Poppel concluded. “But yes, then Mathieu went. He made it very difficult for us, but he always does.”
