Alpecin-Deceuninck counts on three Belgians and Van der Poel on tour | a trip

Mathieu van der Pol marks his third participation in the Tour. On his first appearance of 2021 he rode aboard Mûr-de-Bretagne and excelled in the 6-day yellow jersey. Last year, he was still tired from the Giro, and had to give up on stage 11.

Now the Dutch leader of the Alpecin-Deceuninck company hoped to reach Paris. He’s already shown he’s in great shape with his final win at the Tour of Belgium. The 28-year-old Van der Poel is bidding for the yellow jersey at the Grand Depart in Bilbao.

And Alpecin-Dekonink has another spearhead for winning stage victories. Jasper Philipsen already won two stages in the Tour last year and this season has once again shown that he is ready for key appointments in France at the Eleven Cities Tour and the Tour of Belgium.

With reliable sprint leader Jonas Rikaart and experienced Dutchman Ramon Sinkeldam, Philipsen can count on a strong train for the final kilometre, especially if Van der Poel also turns head on.

He then faces Quentin Hermans in his first appearance on tour. Last year, Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert surprisingly left him at home. The selection was completed by Sylvain Delaire, Michael Googol and stage winner Soren Cragg-Andersen.