Mathieu Van Der Poel Seeks Yellow Jersey At The Roubaix

Mathieu van der Poel is out on a hunt for the yellow jersey at the Roubaix stage, which is supposed to start on 6^th July 2022. The stage 5 has a distance of 153.7 km and is a hilly type stage. Such stages are best meant for sprinters who can steer easily on uneven pavements. The Alpecin– Deceuninck rider made a comment on Monday, 4^th July, clarifying his goals for the upcoming stage:

I hope the day after tomorrow in the Roubaix stage – a lot is possible in it.

He further said in his interview:

I hope to find my good legs now. Whether I have set my sights on the cobblestone stage? That is saying a lot, but it has to suit me, and I can take my chance there

Stage 5 is divided into 5 sectors, with a rating starting from 2 to about 4 stars. Due to Sunday’s Grand Depart, Mathew Van der Poel sat 20 seconds behind Wout van Aert of Jumbo-Visma. Van Aert is the overall race leader. Van der Poel starts in the fifth position.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Even though Van der Poel is yet to take a victory on the tour so far, his performance has been reassuring. He stood fifth in the time trial on Sunday and took 19^th place in stage 2. He landed 25^th place in stage 3. Mathieu talked about his performance so far and looked content with it as he said:

There is still a lot possible for yellow. Everyone within a minute certainly has a chance. I try to go for rides anyway, but 20″ in a Roubaix stage is not much

Nevertheless, he agrees that the stages in Denmark were better fitted for his teammate Jasper Philipsen, who took the fifth and third positions in Nyborg and Sønderborg. In his own words:

Except for the prologue, we were in Denmark for Jasper Philipsen. That was agreed

Monday, 4^th July, was a rest day at the Tour de France. Van der Poel admits that the rest has disrupted his rhythm. He said:

You’re out of your rhythm right away, but it’s not that I’m sad about it. We’ll suffer enough

He feels that stage 6 feels more suited to him and Philipsen as well. Stage 6 is 219.9k long, starting from Binche all the way to Longwy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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He is looking forward to stage 6:

We still have to look at that because Jasper showed yesterday that he is in shape. We have to see how we feel on Thursday, and then we will decide.

Also Read: Annemiek Van Vleuten Beats Mavi García To Win Giro D’Italia Donne

Featured Image Via YouTube/ Zwift