“It makes a big difference if you say beforehand that it’s going to be too tough for you,” began the 65-year-old Dutchman, referring to the expectations MVDP set beforehand. Indeed, Mathieu suggested before the Tour that the opening weekend was “a bit too tough” for him. “I do think, and I’m almost certain of this, that Mathieu can normally handle such situations. But then you need a very different preparation, like doing altitude training camps and, for example, riding the Dauphiné, followed by another altitude camp. I am convinced he would have competed for the victory then.”
Clear words from Van der Poel senior, who then delves deeper into his analysis. “In recent years, in terms of racing, we are in a time where you need to make choices. You do that, hoping you can achieve and realize your most important goals. Normally, Mathieu is someone who, when he sets his mind to something, is really good. But the opposite is also true: if he says it’s too tough for him, you can talk all you want, but it won’t change anything.”
When we ask the Dutchman how many and which stages are high on Mathieu’s wishlist, he responds decisively. “One stage is all you need, right? I always laugh when people say, ‘we’re going for stage wins’. Just start with one, I think, haha! For Mathieu and Alpecin-Deceuninck, the math is relatively simple. You can already rule out the time trials. The mountain stages too. Then you have to rely on the sprint stages with Jasper (Philipsen, ed.) and the hilly stages. If you manage to win one out of the five or six, it’s already a success. You should enjoy that.”
“You often see that once you get going, a second win follows. We also have to be honest and admit that everything went right last year,” continued the former pro cyclist, referring to Alpecin-Deceuninck’s winning streak in the 2023 Tour. “But what happened in the past simply doesn’t count. You start from scratch again and are judged on what you achieve this time. However, the team has full confidence in a good outcome, I think. They also know, of course, that you shouldn’t let yourself be discouraged by the first few stages.”
