Mathieu Van Der Poel Relegated After Stage 4 Sprint Finish

One of the biggest revelations of the opening stages of this year’s Tour de France has been Mathieu van der Poel’s newfound role as leadout man for Alpecin-Deceuninck’s sprinter, Jasper Philipsen.

Over the last two stages, both won by the man sometimes known as “Jasper Disaster” (though perhaps “Jasper the Master” is more apropos, considering he’s won three of the last five Tour de France stages), MVDP has played a vital role in delivering his teammate to the line.

However, despite his work, van der Poel was sanctioned by the race jury after the conclusion of stage, who determined the Dutch superstar was throwing his elbows a bit too much in the chaotic leadup to the final sprint. Van der Poel traded a few sporting blows with Eritrean sprinter Biniam Girmay, who is looking to win a stage in his Tour debut.

It was a final few hundred meters that featured more action than the previous 113 glass-flat miles of the stage, which Philipsen called “the most boring Tour de France stage in a long time.”

Due to his contact with Intermarché-Circus-Wanty’s Girmay, van der Poel was relegated to the last position of the lead pack, penalized thirteen points in the competition for the green jersey, and fined $500.

Meanwhile, the victory gave Philipsen a commanding lead in the points classification, as he snatched the green jersey from Jayco-AlUla’s Simon Yates. At the start of Stage 5, Philipsen has 150 points to Viktor Lafay’s 80. Lotto-Dstny’s Caleb Ewan, who Philipsen beat by half-a-wheel in Stage 4, rounds out the top three with 73 points.

Philipsen’s next shot for a stage win will come on Friday, after two days spent in the Pyrenees, when the peloton rides from Mont-de-Marsan to Bordeaux.

Friday’s seventh stage features another flat parcours perfectly suited to the sprinters. After 105 miles, Philipsen will likely be battling it out with Mark Cavendish, who is famously gunning for a record-breaking thirty-sixth Tour de France stage win; Fabio Jakobsen, who, like so many others, suffered a brutal crash at the end of Stage 4; Caleb Ewan, who, after so many close losses, is still looking for his first Tour victory since 2020; and the aforementioned Girmay, who would make history as the first Black racer to win a Tour de France stage.

However, Philipsen’s secret weapon just so happens to be one of the fastest bike riders on the planet working to get him to the front of a bunch sprint. And, though it was unclear what Alpecin-Deceuninck’s plans for Mathieu van der Poel were heading into the Tour, it’s becoming apparent as the miles tick on how they’re employing his world-beating talent.

After a spring campaign that saw him winning Paris-Roubaix, Milan-San Remo, and a fifth cyclocross world championship, it appears that his focus this month is on being a good domestique rather than stage-winning glory for himself.

Of course, that’ll all change come August, when van der Poel hopes to become the first Dutch rider since Joop Zoetemelk to win the world championship.

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