Even Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) can be left in awe of the recovery of cycling's top Grand Tour riders, with the Classics superstar questioning just how they come out swinging each and every day for three weeks, after he lost the yellow jersey on stage 7 of the Tour de France.
Despite conquering Mûr-de-Bretagne in emotional fashion four years ago to take yellow, Van der Poel already knew on Thursday that there was to be no fairytale return, and that his time back in the lead was going to be short-lived. He nearly cramped up a day prior as he got into the breakaway and took over the lead once again from Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), by only one second.
He knew it then, and he knew it once the first rep up the 2km Breton climb was completed. But he showed no real disappointment as he spoke at the finish line, having finished 22nd, 1:20 down on stage winner Pogačar.
"I think it was [the fatigue of stage 6]. Four years ago, it was also the second race day. I need my best legs here to try and follow these guys, and I didn't have them today," said Van der Poel to ITV at the finish.
"What I predicted did indeed happen," he added, speaking to Sporza. "The first time up Mûr-de-Bretagne, I almost got dropped. I knew then that they would ride up even faster the second time."
Van der Poel is the best Classics rider in the world and has an uncanny ability to turn himself inside out at races such as the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, where on one day, he can always find that extra gear.
With seven brutally tough days of all-out racing in the legs, Van der Poel, the one-day specialist, is certainly feeling the brunt of a Grand Tour and could only admire those who earn their paychecks during the brutal three-week tests.
"I sometimes wonder how everyone else recovers like that every day. I'm glad I can focus mainly on the Classics," admitted Van der Poel after his second stint in yellow at the 2025 race came to a nice ending.
"In the end, I really enjoyed my yellow jersey. Perhaps even more than the first few days, because I was aware that I would lose it."
With his main sprinter and stage 1 winner, Jasper Philipsen, unfortunately crashing out after a hectic third stage, Van der Poel remains Alpecin-Deceuninck's headline rider, and he and Kaden Groves will be the focus points going forward.
That starts with this weekend, where two sprint days to Laval and Chateauroux should see the Dutchman on lead-out duty for the multiple Grand Tour stage-winning Australian, but Van der Poel was clear that he hadn't been thinking too far ahead.
"I haven't looked at all what is to come, I try to take it day by day, but it has already been a super successful Tour for me," he said, having won stage 2, with more opportunities from the break and on punchy finals still to come in the remaining 14 stages. "But I will definitely try to go for a stage win in the second and third week of the Tour."
Van der Poel may still not grow to love the Tour, especially after how much he's suffered while in the lead of the race these past few days, but it's certainly benefited from him being at his attacking best and wearing yellow as one of the modern peloton's best.
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