Mathieu van der Poel, the Dutch Classics superstar, lost the yellow jersey on stage 7 of the Tour de France, admitting that he is struggling with Grand Tour fatigue. Despite nearly taking over the lead in the previous stages and finishing strong overall, Van der Poel acknowledged that his body couldn’t recover quickly enough for consecutive days of intense racing.
Van der Poel’s loss of the yellow jersey comes as no surprise, given his own prediction that it would happen. He had almost gotten dropped on the second ascent of Mûr-de-Bretagne during stage 6 and knew that the peloton would ride up even faster the next time. The Classics rider has an uncanny ability to perform at high levels in individual races but struggled with the physical demands of the Grand Tour.
Van der Poel expressed admiration for top riders who earn their paychecks during the brutal three-week tests, saying he sometimes wonders how they recover like that every day. Despite his disappointment, he remains optimistic about his performance and is focused on the upcoming Classics season. He plans to focus on sprint days and stage wins in the remaining stages of the Tour de France.
Van der Poel’s team, Alpecin-Deceuninck, will continue to rely on him as their headline rider, with Jasper Philipsen’s injury paving the way for Kaden Groves to take on a more prominent role. The Dutchman is determined to make the most of his experience and enjoy his time in the yellow jersey, even if it’s just for a short period.
Source: https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/i-wonder-how-they-recover-like-that-every-day-mathieu-van-der-poel-loses-yellow-jersey-at-tour-de-france-as-grand-tour-fatigue-sets-in