Mathieu van der Poel had a difficult day in the Tour de France. The Dutchman himself easily retained the yellow jersey but saw his friend and teammate Jasper Philipsen drop out after a heavy crash.
“I didn’t see the crash, but I did see him sitting on the side of the road,” Van der Poel told Sporza after the third stage. “I immediately realized then that it wasn’t good.”
Philipsen crashed badly 60 kilometers from the finish. The wearer of the green points jersey was knocked off his bike by Frenchman Bryan Coquard on the way to the intermediate sprint. In the heavy crash, he broke his collarbone, forcing him to leave the Tour.
“We not only lost our sprinter, but we also lost an important goal for this Tour. That was winning that green jersey,” continued Van der Poel, who is good friends with Philipsen. “In addition, Jasper also provided enthusiasm in the team.”
Alpecin-Deceuninck tried to change tactics during the stage and send sprinter Kaden Groves forward, “But after that crash by Philipsen, it was difficult to shift the focus,” Van der Poel admitted. “We’re going to try again in the coming days.”
Despite the blow for Alpecin, Van der Poel is already looking forward to the fourth stage. Tuesday’s hilly stage is perfect for the wearer of the yellow jersey. “It’s a tough stage, but one that suits me,” said Van der Poel. “Hopefully I can find good legs and keep my yellow jersey. We’re going to do everything we can to do that.”