Danny van Poppel will not be on his bike for the seventeenth stage of the Tour de France on Wednesday. The Dutch champion has become a father to a daughter and is returning home for that reason.
Van Poppel announced via Instagram on Wednesday that he has become a father to a daughter, Bobbie. “Dear Bobbie, we are so incredibly proud and happy that you have come into our lives. The baby can’t wait for daddy to come home today,” writes Van Poppel, who is in a relationship with television presenter Stéphane Kox.
In a video from his team Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, Van Poppel then confirmed that he had decided to leave the Tour. “I’m looking forward to going home, but it’s also a shame. We were in a good flow. I wish the team all the success,” said Van Poppel.
The 31-year-old Dutchman’s goal in the Tour over the past few weeks has been to help sprinter Jordi Meeus to stage wins. That mission failed. Meeus has only finished in the top ten once so far. Teammates Florian Lipowitz and Primoz Roglic are in the top ten of the general classification. Van Poppel’s best ranking is eleventh place in the eighth stage.
Van Poppel is the fourth Dutchman to leave the Tour early this year. Marijn van den Berg, Cees Bol and Mathieu van der Poel previously dropped out for physical reasons.