Mathieu van der Poel has a love-hate relationship with the Tour: "Easier now I'm older"

Mathieu van der Poel has not always been able to finish the Tour de France in recent years. In the Whoop podcast, he talks about the premature end of his 2025 Tour.

Van der Poel started last year’s Tour very strong; he won the second stage, wore the yellow jersey for nearly a week, and was named the most combative rider of the first week. However, due to pneumonia, he eventually had to withdraw after the fifteenth stage.

"I already had a love-hate relationship with the Tour; it hasn’t always been super successful for me. This year it finally was, but then I got sick, which was tough. I was very motivated to complete the Tour successfully, especially the final stage, which really suited me."

Appreciating 
Catching a virus is never completely avoidable. "The Tour is a huge event. You come into contact with many people, so it’s hard to pinpoint where you caught it. You try to manage it as best as possible, but of course, there’s always a chance of falling ill."

Throughout his cycling career, Van der Poel has faced setbacks more than once. "When you’re a bit older, it’s easier to cope with something like that. It’s part of the sport; you have ups and downs. It makes you appreciate the good moments even more."