"I felt very good today. I wanted to help my teammates today if I could, although I also had to focus on defending the yellow jersey. The final kilometres were super hectic, with a lot of crashes. I like leading out and I wanted to be on the front as much as possible in order to keep my guys safe. My team actually likes to make the final kilometres as fast as possible in order to avoid the fight for the position within the bunch. I’m happy I can give something back to my teammates, who are always working for me. When I peeled off with one kilometre to go, I focused on following Alaphilippe because there is only a small gap between us on the GC. It’s special to wear this yellow jersey in France. It is pretty unique, pretty big. It’s unbelievable what the team just did today. This Tour has already been a success for us. Everything that comes afterwards is a bonus."
Interview
June 28
th
2021
- 18:17
Mathieu van der Poel: "I'm happy I can give something back to my team-mates"