Mathieu van der Poel abandons Tour de France

“Mathieu had been experiencing symptoms of a common cold over the past few days,” read the Alpecin-Deceuninck statement. “Yesterday afternoon, his condition began to worsen significantly. The team doctor monitored him closely throughout the day. By the evening, Mathieu developed a fever and was taken to the ‘Centre Hospitalier de Narbonne’ for further examinations.

"Medical tests revealed that Mathieu is suffering from pneumonia. In consultation with the medical staff, it was decided that he can no longer continue the race. His health is the top priority, and rest and recovery are now essential.

"Mathieu will be required to rest for at least one full week. After this period, he will undergo further medical examinations to assess his recovery and determine the next steps in his rehabilitation.”

Van der Poel was one of the standout riders of this Tour de France, winning stage 2 and enjoying two spells in the yellow jersey. He was voted the most combative rider of the opening week following his daring long-range attack with teammate Jonas Rickaert on stage 9. The Dutchman was also firmly in the mix for the green jersey, before illness forced him to abandon the race.

This is the third time Van der Poel has abandoned the Tour in five starts. He won a stage and wore yellow on his debut in 2021 but left the race at the end of the first week with an eye to the Tokyo Olympics. He abandoned on stage 11 of his second appearance in 2022, when he struggled to make an impact after his exertions at the Giro d'Italia.

In 2023 and 2024, Van der Poel enjoyed success as part of Jasper Philipsen's lead-out but he did not make the same impression elsewhere. His 2025 Tour began strongly but Van der Poel confessed ahead of stage 15 to Carcassonne that he had been hindered by a cold towards the end of the second week. "I’m not recovering well," Van der Poel said on Sunday.