Tour de France 2025 - Mathieu van der Poel : "Tout ce qui vient maintenant, c'est juste du bonus"

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Au lendemain du triomphe de Jasper Philipsen au sprint à Lille, les puncheurs étaient attendus de pied ferme ce dimanche 6 juillet sur le Tour de France. Au terme de cette 2e étape accidentée et longue de 209,1 km (la plus longue du Tour), avec 2 550 mètres de dénivelé au menu et un bel enchaînement de trois bosses dans un final explosif et mouvementé, c'est le grand favori du jour qui a levé les bras à Boulogne-sur-Mer, Mathieu van der Poel s'imposant en patron dans un sprint en petit comité pour décrocher sa 2e victoire sur le Tour ! Le Néerlandais reproduit le même scénario qu'il y a 4 ans à Mûr-de-Bretagne (déjà sur la 2e étape), lorsqu'il avait fait coup double en s'emparant du Maillot Jaune, qu'il chipe à son coéquipier Jasper Philipsen pour poursuivre le début de Tour parfait d'Alpecin-Deceuninck. Pourtant calée dans sa roue dans les 300 derniers mètres, Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) a été impuissant face à la puissance et la vitesse de MVDP et se contente de la 2e place, devant un Jonas Vingegaard (Visma) en forme et offensif. Les Français ont répondu présent mais se contentent des places d'honneur.

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00:00Comment est-ce que vous avez fait le recons ?

00:13Non, nous n'avons pas fait le recons, donc je pense que c'était plus difficile que tout le monde voulait dans les finales.

00:20Donc j'étais assez sur la limite, mais j'étais toujours bien en front et ça a fait la différence aujourd'hui.

00:28Tell us more about your feelings in this climb, man.

00:32It was hard, how was your confidence ?

00:36Yeah, I was really on the limit, so I just tried to survive.

00:40Sorry, I tried to survive the hard climbs.

00:45It became a bit tricky going into the last 10K with some attacks,

00:53but I just stayed quite patient and hoped that everything would come back together.

00:58And then at the last kilometer, I know perfectly what to do.

01:07Tell us more about the sprint.

01:10a sprint against Pogacar, Vingegaard.

01:16How unusual is it at the Tour de France ?

01:19Yeah, I've been in this position a few weeks ago at the Dauphiné,

01:23and there they both beat me on the line.

01:25So it also says something about how hard the final was.

01:29But this morning I had a video of the finish line and I studied it a couple of times.

01:35So I knew what I wanted to do and I could execute it perfectly.

01:41So yeah, it's really nice.

01:44It's also a race in the north of France.

01:48How much does that remind you of Roubaix or Flanders with Pogacar ?

01:53Yeah, I mean also yesterday, but also today it was a bit like we're used to racing in the classic races.

02:03It's super nervous all day fighting for position.

02:06And I think as a team we're used to this and we're also good at it.

02:10And I think the whole team is part of the success.

02:20Is there a question in the press room?

02:22Question for the press room, please.

02:24Mathieu, how is it for you to wear the yellow jersey after you have had it before and now again?

02:31How is it for you to wear it?

02:33Yeah, it's always special, of course.

02:35And also with Jasper wearing it yesterday, it's an amazing start of this Tour de France for our team.

02:43And yeah, we're going to try and enjoy it as long as we have it in a team.

02:53You said in French a moment ago that you've had some difficult years in the Tour.

02:57What has made the difference this year?

02:59I think we did a different approach.

03:02Also doing the Dauphiné this year.

03:05I think this is a good choice.

03:08We learn every year about how we can be in the best possible shape.

03:15And I think we try to copy a bit like we did in the classic season with an altitude period.

03:22And then racing Dauphiné, which is Tirino Adriatico before the classics.

03:27And then going back on altitude and doing the Tour.

03:30So I think it was a good decision.

03:33But we also, I think, yeah.

03:35Of course, this Tour de France, it's also a parkour where I can really excel.

03:41And I think this also makes a difference that there are a lot of opportunities.

03:53Congrats, Mathieu.

03:54What's the secret of the team spirit during the last two days?

03:59And what's the importance of Philippe and Christophe?

04:03Yeah, like I said, I think our team always has a clear goal and one leader.

04:09Also, we're used to this kind of racing from the classics.

04:13It's just nervous all day fighting for position and the team did, again, an amazing job.

04:18And, yeah, also Christophe and Philippe, I think they have a clear vision about what they want to do.

04:23And where they want to go with this team.

04:26And they're really good at knowing what we can do as a team.

04:29And also knowing what we can't do as a team.

04:32And we focus on our strengths.

04:33And I think this is part of the success.

04:35But Jay, congrats.

04:40On a day like today, how important is positioning?

04:45Of course, you need the legs, but it starts with positioning.

04:48Even with the best legs, if you turn into the climbs at position 50, it's almost impossible to be in the front.

04:56So, same as like in classic races, the key points are just so important.

05:00And I think, yeah, we're used to this.

05:03And that's why these past two days, we also excel as a team.

05:09This is the last three questions.

05:11Three last questions.

05:16Mathieu, could you please tell a little bit about that?

05:20How present your grandfather is, especially here in that Tour de France?

05:25Yeah, of course, the first year I did the tour was a bit more emotional.

05:29Also because it was the year he died.

05:32And, yeah, of course, it's still...

05:35Yeah, I wanted to raise the tour so bad when he was here, but that was not possible.

05:39I think the first year was super emotional, but now I'm more proud to do it again.

05:46It's been a while.

05:47So, yeah, just happy to finally win my second stage in a Tour de France.

05:51Two last questions.

05:55Mathieu, congratulations.

05:57There was a bit of a hate-love relationship with the Tour.

06:01Will it now go more towards love in the Tour?

06:04It doesn't change that much about my relationship with the Tour, but it's just, yeah.

06:10I think I've struggled a bit the last few years.

06:14That's also why we tried a different approach.

06:16And like I said, there's also the circumstances.

06:19I get a course where what I'm used to and what I'm good at the first week here.

06:25So that also makes a difference, of course.

06:27But it also shows how hard it is to win a stage at the Tour in general.

06:30So, yeah, I'm happy I could take the win today.

06:37Last questions.

06:41Mathieu, can you tell us the last kilometer?

06:45What's happened in your mind during the last kilometer?

06:50I was focused to not make any mistakes and I was also just reacting to every attack there was.

06:56And I knew I wanted to take the corner first.

07:02Because, yeah, it was only 150 meters till the finish line when you came out of the corner.

07:07And, yeah, I'm happy to hold off today.

07:11I'm happy to hold off today.

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