Mathieu van der Poel encouraged by Swiss turnaround: ‘I just need to be patient’

The Dutchman finished fifth in Bad Ragaz after a late chase failed to bring back Jhonatan Narváez and Xandro Meurisse. Narváez took the victory, while Van der Poel was left fighting for the remaining places from a reduced peloton.

His result was not particularly memorable by his usual standards. The feeling in his legs, however, was far more important.

“Today was much better than the first two days,” Van der Poel said after the finish to Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad. “It was not as hot, and I immediately felt the difference. I could follow comfortably on the climbs at the beginning of the stage.”

Van der Poel had originally hoped to join the early breakaway. That plan was quickly abandoned when his rivals reacted to every attempt he made.

“They responded pretty aggressively whenever I tried to go,” he explained. “I soon realised it was not going to happen, so I decided to save my energy and focus on the sprint.”

The peloton appeared likely to catch the two leaders during the closing kilometres, but the gap never fully disappeared. Van der Poel also struggled to find a clear path when the sprint began.

“I got boxed in a little, so I could not really get out,” he said. “It would not have made a difference for the victory. We came close in the end, although with 20 kilometres remaining I had almost given up on catching them.”

Van der Poel’s improved performance came after two demanding days in Switzerland. He was unable to play a significant role on the opening stage, which was dominated by Tadej Pogačar, and also struggled to make an impact on a second stage that appeared better suited to his qualities.

The high temperatures were a major factor. Van der Poel has rarely been at his best in extreme heat, while the cooler weather and heavy rain on stage three proved much more favourable.

“The rain was extreme at times, but I did not mind it,” he said. “I am happy with how the day went. It gave me a much better feeling.”

His slow start may also have been connected to the workload he completed before arriving in Switzerland. Van der Poel and his Alpecin-Premier Tech teammates recently finished an intensive training camp as they prepared for the Tour de France.

“The first days did not go as well as I had hoped,” he admitted. “We had a demanding training camp and did a lot of good work with the team. Everything went well there, but perhaps I was still feeling the effects. Sometimes I just need to be patient.”

That patience may prove valuable with the Tour now approaching. The Tour de Suisse is Van der Poel’s final race before the Grand Départ, leaving him with only a time trial and a difficult mountain stage to sharpen his form.

The time trial will provide another important test. Van der Poel has spent additional time on his time trial bike in preparation for the team time trial that opens the Tour de France in Barcelona on Saturday, July 4.

Alpecin Premier Tech wants to make an immediate impression there, and Van der Poel plans to approach his final Swiss test at full intensity.

“The plan is to go all out on Saturday,” he said. “Then we will see how I feel.”