Van der Poel: Dauphiné Key to Tour de France Success
Mathieu van der Poel’s participation in the Critérium du Dauphiné is confirmed, signaling a critical step in his Tour de france planning. After recovering from a wrist fracture sustained in May, the cycling superstar aims to utilize the Dauphiné as a key race to fine-tune his form, missing crucial training. This news comes as Team Picnic-PostNL grapples with setbacks, as Fabio Jakobsen and John Degenkolb will miss the Tour de France due to health concerns, impacting the team’s strategy. News Directory 3 has the details of the cycling world’s shifting dynamics. How will van der Poel perform, and what impact will the absences have? Discover what’s next.
Van der Poel to Race Dauphiné; Jakobsen Out of Tour
Updated June 7, 2025
Mathieu van der Poel will compete in the Critérium du Dauphiné, Alpecin-Deceuninck has confirmed. This declaration follows uncertainty about his fitness after a crash in the nové Mesto MTB World Cup last month.
Van der Poel, 30, fractured his wrist in the Czech Republic. However, team officials stated he has recovered sufficiently to continue his Tour de France preparation.
Team boss Christoph Roodhooft told Sporza that Van der Poel was highly motivated to participate in the Dauphiné. “Despite a painful wrist, he tried to train…It turned out better than expected,” Roodhooft said.
This marks Van der Poel’s first appearance at the Dauphiné. He aims to fine-tune his race form after missing a training camp due to his injury. he last raced on pavement in April during a duel with Tadej Pogačar at Paris-Roubaix.
Meanwhile, Team Picnic-PostNL faces challenges as John Degenkolb and fabio Jakobsen will miss the Tour de France due to health issues. This absence complicates the team’s fight for WorldTour survival.
Degenkolb is still recovering from fractures sustained in a crash at the Tour of Flanders. “He still needs follow-up surgery, so July is just not realistic,” said team doctor Camiel Aldershof.
Jakobsen has been sidelined as undergoing iliac artery surgery in April.Although his rehabilitation is progressing, he is not yet ready for racing, officials said.
Aldershof noted Jakobsen’s triumphant operation and rehabilitation, stating, ”Recently, he’s been able to return to training outside a bit which is great, but still at a lower intensity than is required to build up the base again for a three-week grand tour.”
The team’s Tour squad will be finalized later this month. Picnic-PostNL hopes to salvage points, despite missing key team members.
Head coach Rudi Kemna said that the priority is to get both riders back to full health. “Now our priority is to get them both back to full health and have a good training block where they can return to their high level, before we then look to a race program for the second half of the season,” said Kemna.
What’s next
Van der Poel intends to target the early stages of the Dauphiné to sharpen his race legs.Team Picnic-PostNL hopes Degenkolb and jakobsen will return later this season.