Mathieu van der Poel said stage two the Tour de Suisse 2021 was “super fun, especially in the rain” as he sprinted to a convincing victory.
The Alpecin-Fenix rider survived on the tough final climb as the climbers set a strong pace, eventually making it into a two-rider sprint with Bora-Hansgrohe’s Max Schachmann, with Van der Poel comfortably sprinting to the win.
It was a brutal day of racing in Switzerland as downpours began to lash the peloton in the closing kilometres, as Van der Poel thrived thanks to his experience as a multiple cyclocross world champion.
Speaking after the finish, the 26-year-old said: “I really enjoyed being back on the road bike. It was a super fun stage, especially with the rainy conditions at the end. It was a bit of a Classics parcours at the end, something that really suits me and I’m happy to finish it off.”
Van der Poel made his return to the peloton at the Tour de Suisse after focussing on the recent mountain bike World Cup rounds, as he targets Olympic gold on the MTB this summer.
But Van der Poel showed no rust in the Tour de Suisse, keeping pace with the likes of Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck - Quick-Step) and Richard Carapaz (Ineos Grenadiers) on the final climb of the day,
Van der Poel said: “If you see which riders I’m racing against, this was a very difficult [win].
“I wanted to grab a stage win here. The first three days suit me well and then it’s up to the climbers, it gets really tough.
“I’m just happy to get the win and I’m really proud of the guys. I asked them to make the race hard 50km from the finish and they did it perfectly.”
Van der Poel is using the Tour de Suisse as preparation for his debut in the Tour de France later this month, where he hopes to win a stage before turning his attention to the Olympics.
Alex is the digital news editor for CyclingWeekly.com. After gaining experience in local newsrooms, national newspapers and in digital journalism, Alex found his calling in cycling, first as a reporter and now as news editor responsible for Cycling Weekly's online news output.
Since pro cycling first captured his heart during the 2010 Tour de France (specifically the Contador-Schleck battle) and joining CW in 2018, Alex has covered three Tours de France, multiple editions of the Tour of Britain, and the World Championships, while both writing and video presenting for Cycling Weekly. He also specialises in fitness writing, often throwing himself into the deep end to help readers improve their own power numbers.
Away from journalism, Alex is a national level time triallist, avid gamer, and can usually be found buried in an eclectic selection of books.
-
-
Italy's golden bikes worth €30k each stolen from Roubaix Track World Championships
The total loss amounts to several hundred thousand euros
By Jonny Long •
-
Ethan Hayter wins Omnium gold at Track World Championships in Roubaix
Katie Archibald and Neah Evans also won bronze in the women's Madison
By Jonny Long •
-
Mathieu van der Poel finishes in top-10 of all Monuments in just 14 months
The Dutch star is the second fastest rider ever to achieve the feat, behind Eddy Merckx
By Tim Bonville-Ginn •
-
Mathieu van der Poel says he 'was the most broken of all' in Paris-Roubaix sprint
The Dutchman has now finished in the top-10 in each of the sport's five Monuments
By Chris Marshall-Bell •
-
'I think it would be quite cool if it rains': Mathieu van der Poel ready to take on the challenge at debut Paris-Roubaix
The Dutch rider comes into the 'Hell of the North' after a solid top 10 at the World Championships
By Tim Bonville-Ginn •
-
Mathieu van der Poel will ride World Championships road race
The Dutch star has recovered from his back injury enough to compete for the rainbow bands
By Tim Bonville-Ginn •
-
Mathieu van der Poel focussed on Paris-Roubaix, but coach holds his World Championships place
The Dutchman returned to action last Sunday at Antwerp Port Epic and now faces a race against time to be fit for the Worlds and Paris-Roubaix
By Ryan Dabbs •
-
Mathieu van der Poel stuns with one-day race victory despite back injury
The Dutch superstar says chances of riding Paris-Roubaix and World Championships are 'now higher than 50/50'
By Alex Ballinger •
-
Mathieu van der Poel cleared to race again as back injury threatens rest of 2021 season
The Dutchman still has big plans for the last few months of the year, but will his back hold up under the strain
By Alex Ballinger •
-
Mathieu van der Poel signs contract extension with Alpecin-Fenix until 2025
The Dutchman has hinted that he may end up being a one-man team throughout his career
By Chris Marshall-Bell •
