Tour de France 2025 through the lens of James Startt - Stage 3

Mathieu van der Poel made a spectacular but short Tour de France debut in 2021, winning a stage in honour of his late grandfather Raymond Poulidor and spending most the first week in the yellow jersey before bowing out to prepare for the Tokyo Olympics.

In his three appearances since then, Van der Poel was largely deployed in support of his Alpecin-Deceuninck teammate Jasper Philipsen. Although he made some impressive cameos, he never replicated his Classics form in July.

This year looks to be different. Van der Poel was hugely impressive in winning stage 2 in Boulogne-sur-Mer, earning himself a return to the yellow jersey. Van der Poel looked the part when he reported for duty at the start in Valenciennes on Monday morning, and he would comfortably defend the jersey on the road to Dunkerque.

The day was a sad one for his Alpecin-Deceuninck team, however, with Jasper Philipsen forced out by a heavy crash. The Belgian’s absence might see Van der Poel’s role change once again. The green jersey might now become an objective. But however it pans out, it seems clear that Van der Poel will be a protagonist on this Tour all the way to Paris.

James Startt is covering his 36th Tour de France. He is a two-time winner of the World Sports Photography awards and he currently serves as the creative director to inGamba luxury cycling tours.