Adrie van der Poel criticises Tour de France transfers: 'Staff were working until midnight'

The former professional rider, father of Mathieu van der Poel and still closely involved with Alpecin Premier Tech, raised the issue after the third stage of the Tour de France, when teams faced a long journey to the start and another lengthy transfer after the finish.

“It was an hour and a half to get to the start,” Van der Poel said on the Belgian talkshow Vive le Vélo. “After the stage, they then had another three hours on the bus to reach the hotel.”

According to Van der Poel, the biggest burden often falls on the people working behind the riders. Mechanics, soigneurs and other staff are still preparing bikes, washing kit, organising food and setting up for the next day long after the race has finished.

“In our team, they were working until midnight,” he said. “I saw Philip Roodhooft [general manager of the team] bringing a plate of food to the mechanics because the kitchen was closing at twelve.”

Van der Poel believes the problem should be addressed at route planning level. While he accepts that transfers are part of every Grand Tour, he said the scale of some journeys can and should be reduced.

“These are things that can really be done better,” he said. “An hour and a half to the start and three hours after the finish, that can be improved.”

The comments came during a wider discussion about this year’s Tour route, which has also been criticised for offering limited opportunities to certain types of riders.

Tom Boonen, who won six stages at the Tour de France during his career, said he was not convinced the course had been designed to keep the race open.

“Do you want to keep it exciting?” Boonen asked. “You have two riders who have dominated in recent years and now you give them every advantage. In the first weeks, the gaps could already become so big that a lot of riders will be demotivated in the second week.”

Boonen added that the organisers are free to shape the race as they see fit, but suggested this route may not naturally produce suspense.

“They make their own decision about how they want to do it,” he said. “But this is not a route that creates tension.”

For Mathieu van der Poel, the course also appears less suited than some previous editions. His father pointed to the 2021 Tour, when Van der Poel won a stage and wore the yellow jersey, as an example of a race that offered him clear opportunities.

“He went to that Tour with pleasure,” Adrie van der Poel said. “But he has also ridden two Tours where, from day one, he was asking himself: what am I doing here?”

Van der Poel said the presence of Jasper Philipsen gives Alpecin-Premier Tech a clear objective in the sprint stages, but he still feels the number of chances for riders with Mathieu’s profile is limited.

“Fortunately, there is Jasper, and you can work for him,” he said. “But the stages are becoming very limited for that type of rider.”