The Flying Dutchman: Mathieu van der Poel's special story

Face in hands, eyes full of tears. After his glorious final sprint on the second stage of this year's Tour de France, Mathieu van der Poel sat huddled during his first interview. Struggling for words, the Dutch cyclist tried to somehow summarize what had happened into a coherent sentence. "I have no words. Really. “I don’t know what to say,” he says into the camera.

Even before the tour, Van der Poel was in the spotlight. The Dutchman, who was born in Kapellen, Belgium, is one of the most sought-after riders in the entire peloton. In addition to his previous successes on the UCI World Tour, he also impressed with his incredible versatility. Van der Poel won the cyclocross world championships four times, and he is also one of the best in the world on mountain bikes. He is one of the gold favorites at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, which begin on July 23rd. Grandfather “Poupou” as an iconic idol Despite the upcoming games, despite the gold medal he was aiming for, one big goal stood above all others for the Alpecin-Fenix rider this year: the yellow jersey. Van der Poel's grandfather, the French cycling icon Raymond Poulidor, stood on the Tour de France podium eight times between 1962 and 1976. However, “Poupou” was never able to win the tour and was even denied the yellow jersey throughout his entire career. Nevertheless, Poulidor rose to become the winner of hearts and one of the tragic heroes of Tour de France history. Adrie van der Poel, Mathieu's father, was able to start in yellow for a single stage.

The retro jersey in memory of Raymond “Poupou” Poulidor. © AlpecinCycling

This unique family history is what drives Mathieu van der Poel to compete in the Tour de France, where he is of course one of the stars. In memory of his grandfather, who died in November 2019, Van der Poel's team started the first stage with a special retro jersey.

The jersey, which is based on “Poupou”, is intended to commemorate the French grandmaster’s last tour, 45 years ago when he took part in the Tour de France for the 14th and last time. “It's something very special to wear this jersey,” explained Mathieu in an interview before the tour AlpecinCycling . “My grandfather was my hero simply because he was my grandfather and not because of his achievements. “Still, it’s special to be Poupou’s grandson,” he said, emphasizing his grandfather’s importance to him.

“Still, it’s special to be Poupou’s grandson.” Mathieu van der Poel He always talked to his grandfather about cycling and also saw some races with him. But he didn't really receive any specific advice; the world of cycling has changed too much in the meantime. “He said it’s not the same as when he attended. Of course it's also nice to see that he had his own career and that he let us go our own way. And that we were also able to make our own experiences and decisions.” Van der Poel without pressure The Dutchman can handle the pressure he feels as a star in the field well. Opposite cyclingnews he said: “I don't feel any more pressure than with other classics. We can compare it with the Tour of Flanders. Similar strategies are used there.” In any case, his focus was always on the first stages of the tour, especially since that is where he can best demonstrate his qualities. In addition, the chances of winning and getting the yellow jersey are particularly high there.

After Julian Alaphilippe was able to win the final sprint of the Grand Depart thanks to a special individual performance, Van der Poel noticed his resignation. “Alaphilippe was undoubtedly the strongest. I put everything into it, but in the end I had nothing left in my legs.” But the 26-year-old has by no means given up: “There will be a new opportunity tomorrow.” Sprint to happiness – dream in yellow On the second stage, the route between Perros-Guirec and Mur-de-Bretagne Guerledan, the Dutchman's hour came. Thanks to an enormous show of strength in the final kilometers, Mathieu van der Poel not only catapulted himself to victory in the stage, but also to the top of the overall ranking. In doing so, he added another glorious chapter to his successful family history.

Since he was able to defend the yellow jersey in the third stage, he even passed his father, who had worn it for a stage in 1984. Van der Poel himself cannot estimate how long he will stay at the front of the field: “The realistic thing is that I will stay there until the time trial. But no longer,” says the cyclist opposite cycling news .

The 26-year-old also doesn't want to be drawn into the fight for the green jersey (points classification). “Fighting for green is too difficult for me, trying to score points every day and go really deep. It's my first tour. If it's possible and doesn't affect my Olympic plans, then I would like to go to Paris," he says, emphasizing his actual goal. The Dutchman would only be happy to live up to his role as favorite at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. It would be the first Olympic victory in his family. “But if I choose my stages and am in good shape, then I can travel directly from Paris to Tokyo.”

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The Flying Dutchman: Mathieu van der Poel's special story

His grandfather was a tragic national hero, his father conquered the yellow jersey - Mathieu van der Poel's family is truly infected by cycling. Now the 26-year-old is following in the footsteps of his idols – and wants to leave an even bigger mark himself.

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