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Van der Poel wins Tour de France final stage in dream finish
🇩🇰 Denmark /Sports

Van der Poel wins Tour de France final stage in dream finish

From Berlingske · () Danish

Translated from Danish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Outcome reported
  • Mathieu van der Poel won the final stage of the Tour de France on the Champs-Élysées, fulfilling a year-long ambition.
  • He described the victory as a dream come true after missing the previous year's finale due to illness.
  • The win, alongside teammate Jasper Philipsen taking second, marked a strong finish for the Alpecin team after a difficult Tour start.

Mathieu van der Poel achieved a dream victory on the final stage of the Tour de France, crossing the finish line first on the Champs-Élysées. The Dutch star had been focused on this specific stage for a year, especially after being forced to watch it on television from home last year due to illness.

I have been thinking about this for a year. Last year I was sick and had to watch this stage on television from home. I was already thinking about this moment then. The way it happened is like a dream.

— Mathieu van der PoelReflecting on his motivation and the realization of his victory.

"I have been thinking about this for a year," van der Poel stated. "Last year I was sick and had to watch this stage on television from home. I was already thinking about this moment then. The way it happened is like a dream."

Van der Poel and Tadej Pogačar created a gap on the final ascent of the climb. As pursuers closed in, Pogačar dropped back, but van der Poel summoned his remaining strength for an explosive sprint. He narrowly held off his Alpecin teammate Jasper Philipsen and Denmark's Mads Pedersen, who finished third.

I thought we would be caught, but then I switched off my head from 500 meters and gave it everything I had. I kept waiting to see some wheels come past, but it didn't happen. Only at the very end did I see a wheel, and it was Jasper's.

— Mathieu van der PoelDescribing the intense final sprint and his uncertainty about winning.

"I thought we would be caught, but then I switched off my head from 500 meters and gave it everything I had," van der Poel explained. "I kept waiting to see some wheels come past, but it didn't happen. Only at the very end did I see a wheel, and it was Jasper's."

It just shows that we never give up. Our Tour start was not good, but finishing first and second on the Champs-Élysées, that's pretty good, I think.

— Mathieu van der PoelCommenting on the team's resilience and strong finish.

He added, "It just shows that we never give up. Our Tour start was not good, but finishing first and second on the Champs-Élysées, that's pretty good, I think." This victory on the famous boulevard represents a significant career milestone for the 31-year-old Dutchman, who declared, "If there was one race I wanted to win, it was this one."

If there was one race I wanted to win, it was this one.

— Mathieu van der PoelExpressing the personal significance of the victory.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Berlingske in Danish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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