'I knew perfectly what to do' - Mathieu van der Poel draws on Classics prowess to win Tour de France stage two

Dutchman hails 'amazing start' for Alpecin-Deceuninck

Mathieu van der Poel wins stage two of the Tour de France 2025
(Image credit: Getty Images)

In a boggy field in northern France, Mathieu van der Poel made his way through the rain to sign on at the Tour de France. The day ahead, he knew at the time, was almost written for him. At more than 200km – the race’s longest stage – and finishing in a litany of punchy climbs, the Tour had warped into a Classic. Who else but the peloton’s best one-day racer to take centre stage?

“We’re used to this kind of racing,” Van der Poel said, his new yellow jersey testament to the fact. “It was super nervous all day, fighting for position, and I think as a team we’re used to this, we’re also good at it,” he continued.

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Tom Davidson
Senior News and Features Writer

Tom joined Cycling Weekly as a news and features writer in the summer of 2022, having previously contributed as a freelancer. He is fluent in French and Spanish, and holds a master's degree in International Journalism. Since 2020, he has been the host of The TT Podcast, offering race analysis and rider interviews.

An enthusiastic cyclist himself, Tom likes it most when the road goes uphill, and actively seeks out double-figure gradients on his rides. His best result is 28th in a hill-climb competition, albeit out of 40 entrants.

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