There are few stars brighter than Mathieu Van der Poel, especially when he unleashes all his talent on the roads of the Tour de France. The Flying Dutchman is a unique champion, as he has proved again and again on cycling’s greatest stages, and Mûr-de-Bretagne is a beautiful setting to marvel at his brilliance. Four years ago, that’s where he immediately stepped into the legend of the Tour, on day two of his maiden participation, with a stunning two-pronged attack that earned him the Maillot Jaune his late grandfather Raymond Poulidor never wore, despite all his attempts.
In the first few days of the Tour 2025, Van der Poel’s assaults have trumped all challenges so far. In Boulogne-sur-Mer, he dominated Tadej Pogacar. In Rouen, he resisted the Slovenian’s burst to retain the Maillot Jaune. He knew the overall lead would slip away in the time-trial, but, en route to Vire Normandie, he was shining again, leading a brutal battle for the breakaway. The Oranje icon didn’t have his best legs. He faltered. But he didn’t miss his renewed rendezvous with the Maillot Jaune, which he now gets to wear for the tenth time as the race returns to Mûr-de-Bretagne.
His punch already worked wonders there in 2021 and Van der Poel has significantly progressed since then to become one of the greatest classics riders ever. He thrives with the kind of racing unleashed in the first days of the Tour. Yet, after all his effort in the last stages, he anticipates he will lose the jersey this Friday. Pogacar only trails by 1 second. And as Van der Poel puts it: “If he attacks tomorrow, or Jonas [Vingegaard] as well, it will be very difficult not only for me but for the whole bunch to follow on this climb.”
It remains to be seen how the Slovenian defending winner of the Tour and his Danish rival will approach another explosive finale. So far, they’ve brought the battle on every occasion, establishing that this edition will be a relentless struggle from Lille to Paris. Expect them to go head to head again on the brutal slopes of Mûr-de-Bretagne (up to 15%). But in the meantime, Remco Evenepoel feels better and better every day, while the likes of Romain Grégoire and Kévin Vauquelin are looking for their opening to make the most of the spectacular shape they’ve shown until now. Spectators should brace for a whirlwind. And they’ll get to admire Van der Poel’s yellow beam.
