He is the one who could dynamise the race from the first stage this Saturday between Brest and Landerneau. The peloton makes him their favorite to grab the first yellow jersey of the 2021 Tour. He is Dutch but even if his national jersey is blue-white-red in another sense, he is a bit French. Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) is the grandson of Raymond Poulidor, born from the union of Corinne the daughter of the legend and the former yellow jersey of the Tour in 1984 Adrie van der Poel. French blood is flowing in his veins. “I had the impression during the presentation of the teams Thursday evening, confides the grandson, that the public considered me a bit like a French indeed. I know it’s because of my grandfather. It was nice to see and it made me happy for me and for my grandpa that nobody forgot to see the photos, the swimsuit we wore to pay tribute to him (Editor’s note: purple and yellow to remind us of the swimsuit “Mercier” by Poulidor) and all the comments I have or read on this beautiful moment. “
What if a descendant of Poulidor was in yellow?
The grandson of Poulidor yellow jersey? The story would be beautiful and Mathieu van der Poel knows that he is expected on this simple sentence. But the Dutchman who discovered the Tour at 26, at the same age as Poupou in 1962 has lived with this expectation since he got on a bicycle. So he doesn’t seem to care a bit: “I don’t have any particular pressure on that,” he said this Friday morning on the eve of the start. Wearing the yellow jersey, whatever the circumstance, is an incredible opportunity. It is something exceptional and I know that the profile of the two stages corresponds to me. I have an opportunity, but it won’t be easy to seize it. It’s going to be an interesting day to follow from a strategic point of view. I know it will go fast and I will do my best. “
Powerful in the hills, the versatile Dutchman, as strong on the road as in mountain biking or cyclo-cross, knows that the jersey in Landerneau or in the wall of Brittany on Sunday is reaching out to him. “Yes, but the first step is hard, much more difficult than you might think when you see it,” he thinks. We must not forget that this is my first Tour de France. I discovered this atmosphere and the race. Winning the first or second stage will not be easy. “
Favorite, like Julian Alaphilippe and Wout Van Aert to take the yellow jersey on Saturday or Sunday, Mathieu van der Poel is not one to win the Tour. He is not yet a high mountain climber and above all he is the biggest contender for the Olympic gold medal in Tokyo in the MTB event. Under these conditions, the Tour caravan thinks that it will slip away before arriving in Paris to prepare for the Japanese meeting which would take place just a few days after arrival on the Champs: “So I can assure you that there is nothing planned in relation to that, insists van der Poel. I don’t have a plan. I’m really looking forward to discovering the Tour and not just the first two stages. I want to discover the atmosphere in the mountains, the people on the side of the road who we missed. I don’t know how many stages I will ride, it will depend on my form but I want to finish my first lap. ”
And when asked for a favorite for the final victory, the Frenchman at heart has a little word for the wearer of the world champion’s rainbow jersey: “I know Julian well. He is capable of anything, he already knows what it feels like to wear the yellow jersey. Of course he has ambitions for the general. “
And last point: during the Tour, Mathieu van der Poel will not miss the Euro matches as he has done since the start of the competition. This is another of his goals in the days to come.
