Mathieu van der Poel on Stage 1: ‘It’s easier to make choices’

The Tour de France is the biggest race of the year, and as you can imagine, the first few days are stressful. Crashes, splits — lots happen. So yeah, Stage 1 was meant to be a day for the sprinters—and one did win—but there was collateral damage. There were some splits in the field which affected Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel.

Despite that, Jasper Philipsen of Alpecin-Deceuninck took the win and the yellow jersey on the first day of the Tour de France.

His teammate, Mathieu van der Poel, is all smiles after a strong start to the Tour, congratulating Philipsen on their early victory.

Alpecin-Deceuninck stayed sharp all day and it paid off. “This felt a lot like a classic race, and that’s exactly what we can do as a team,” Van der Poel said to Sporza, reflecting on the impressive opening performance.

Playing a crucial role near the front as the final leadout rider, Van der Poel was clearly proud. “Our Tour is already a success, no matter what happens now,” he said.

He went on to describe the race dynamics: “I’m happy and proud to be part of this. I think a lot of riders thought the race wouldn’t break apart, and that’s exactly why it did. Everyone was focused, but Visma-Lease a Bike really pushed the pace on the side.”

Luckily, Van der Poel and his team stayed well-positioned up front. “We knew immediately what to do once we heard some of the fastest guys weren’t in the break,” he explained.

Gianni Vermeersch was the one to deliver the news to his teammates. “I was a bit too far back myself, but when a gap opened, I saw riders like Jonathan Milan and Tim Merlier missing from the move. I told the team to push hard because if the gap opens, that’s it.”

“The whole day was tense and nervous, but that’s what we thrive on as a squad,” van der Poel said.

He added that while the team had a plan, the situation on the road made executing it simpler.

“Fortunately, we had the right guys in the move.”

Looking ahead, Sunday seems like a good day for Van der Poel to shine. But does Jasper Philipsen’s yellow jersey now take priority? “It’s easier to make choices now that we’ve already got this win,” he said. Plus, the course may be too lumpy in the finale for the sprinter. So it may be a day for MvdP.

Stage 2 might be a doozy–it’s a punchy course that favours guys like MvdP. Check back on Canadian Cycling Magazine for reports and photos.