Last Sunday, somewhat surprisingly, he finished his first Giro d'Italia. Now Mathieu Van der Poel has already put his next long-term challenge in his sights: the Tour de France.

The Dutchman will be at the start of the Grande Boucle next July 1st in Copenhagen.

In practice it will double the 'Grand Tours' and will not be at the start of any race before the official start in Denmark.

It is not possible to say the opposite: Van der Poel was one of the best cyclists of the Giro d'Italia with a victory and the conquest of the pink jersey in Hungary as well as a thousand attempts to add a second one in the most varied way possible, from the time trial where he finished on the podium twice, in the short sprints (beaten only by Girmay) in the high mountain stages.

It's now a fact: the talented 27-year-old son of Adrie Van der Poel has certified his star status.  

His form point, at the moment, remains ideal: therefore he will train only to keep himself at good levels. He will thus arrive at the Tour de France with a short schedule, as he spent the first few months out of action after undergoing surgery. He did without cyclocross but on the other hand returned directly to Milan-Sanremo to finish third. Then the victories in the Dwars and in the Tour of Flanders , without forgetting the fourth place in the Amstel Gold Race and the ninth in the Roubaix.

The fantamanagers love him, and not only for the cyclocrossist show he gave on the climbs: so far he has brought a good 2,492 points, third behind Pogacar and Van Aert. The Tour will start with a time trial and stages suitable for sprinters up to the most awaited stage: that of the cobblestones at Arenberg. The right opportunity to go back to wearing the yellow jersey and have fun as he likes.

As if that were not enough, Van der Poel will receive the support of an Alpecin that also raises the stakes. The Belgian team will add Deceuninck as sponsor and after the excellent performances of the Giro (with the successes of Oldani and De Bondt ) it is a candidate for a leading role also in France. With different men and with a strong point: obviously Vdp.

And what do you expect from him at the Tour? Will you keep him on the team or buy him for the biggest race in the world?

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