‘The wrist is not 100%, but it’s still okay’ - Mathieu van der Poel cautiously optimistic about Dauphiné debut

Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin - Deceuninck) will start the 2025 Critérium du Dauphiné with a wrist injury, as he makes his debut appearance in the key Tour de France preparation race. The Dutch star suffered said injury during the XCO race at the 2025 Nové Město World Cup, and initial fears indicated he could be out for longer than the quick turnaround, which has seen him feature on the start line at the Dauphiné.

"The wrist is not 100%, but it's still okay," Van der Poel stated ahead of the opening stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné. "The only thing is that I didn't really do like all-out efforts, so we will see how I feel today."

Despite the injury, the Dutch star remains cautiously optimistic about his chances in today's expected sprint finish, though he identifies another rider as the man to beat.

"I will see, like I said, how I feel, and then I will decide to go for it. [Jonathan] Milan is the favourite, he's the fastest of this bunch, but maybe we can try and do something," Van der Poel said.

The Alpecin-Deceuninck rider has chosen the Dauphiné as his final preparation race before the Tour de France, marking his first appearance in the prestigious French stage race.

"It's my first time here and I think it's better to have some competition for me before the Tour de France, and I was never at the Dauphiné, so it's good to try something new sometimes," he explained.

Van der Poel believes today's opener will conclude with a bunch sprint, especially with the race leader's jersey at stake.

"I think it's going to be a sprint today. It's still the first stage, the yellow jersey is on the line as well, so I think they will control it," he said.

Despite his injury concerns, Van der Poel has been able to maintain a decent training schedule heading into the race. "I've trained pretty well, actually, given the circumstances, so yeah, hopefully we can be in the mix today," he added.