Mathieu van der Poel has admitted he has very mixed feelings about the Tour de France, the pain and suffering of racing for three weeks only occasionally rewarded with stage victories and short spells in the yellow jersey. But with the Dutchman revealing that 2027 could be the last Tour of his career, he has newfound enthusiasm for this year's race.
Van der Poel's palmares is heavy with Classics victories, a World Championships road race, and a record-breaking eight cyclo-cross world titles. He hopes to finally add a mountain bike Olympic gold medal in Los Angeles in 2028, and then could end his career.
