Mathieu Van der Poel has already worn the yellow jersey and already won a stage at the Tour. So when asked if there was a stage he would like to conquer, the Dutchman from Alpecin Deceuninck said that he would look at things day by day and that, if needed, he would help his teammate Philipsen.

"There isn't really a specific stage I'm targeting. I'll approach the race one day at a time. But there are some interesting stages where good opportunities might arise."

We've seen Van der Poel race alongside Philipsen and he will have no problems helping his teammate get into the right position for the sprint.
"There will be stages where I can play my card, but there will also be opportunities with Jasper. The first stage will certainly be a group sprint and it will be Jasper's turn. We'll also have Kaden Groves as a useful sprinter, but this changes nothing for me, because at the Tour everyone is needed."

Philipsen said he will aim for the yellow jersey in the first stage and the green jersey, while Van der Poel's objectives will be different. "The green jersey is not my goal at the moment. I would also need to do group sprints, and we have Jasper for that role. But you never know how things will go at the Tour. It's nice to start not far from home. And it's not far from Roubaix either, which I have beautiful memories of."

For the Dutchman, the first stages won't be complicated, but the Tour lasts 21 days and surprises won't be lacking: "It will become nerve-wracking later on, but it's always like this at the Tour. For now, I'm not worried."