CHATEAUXROUX, France (Velo) — Mathieu van der Poel nearly went tape-to-tape Sunday in a risk-all attack from Kilometer 0 at the Tour de France, only to get reeled in with 600m to go.
When the Dutch superstar and Alpecin-Deceuninck teammate Jonas Rickaert attacked in the day’s neutral zone in the sprint-friendly 174.1km ninth stage, everyone went whaaaaa?
The pair drilled the pace and put the peloton under pressure to chase against crosswinds. Van der Poel went alone with 5km to go to only be caught within site of the flag, nearly pulling off the miracle.
“We didn’t expect to end up so close,” Van der Poel told Sporza in another near-record fast speed for the stage.
“It’s a slightly different effort”, said MVPD, a winner of a stage already in this Tour. “I did feel good, and in the end I was still close to it.”
The gambit nearly worked, just 750m too short.
MVDP reborn: ‘I knew the peloton was coming’
Van der Poel is reenergized in this Tour, winning a stage and twice wearing the yellow jersey.
For such a dominant rider, his win in stage 2 was only the second of his otherwise prolific road career.
Van der Poel and Rickaert were committed to the chase, and held out hope the bunch would find some crosstown traffic in the echelons and somehow let the escapees pull off the miracle.
“The goal was to drive fast right away to make the gap,” Van der Poel said. “We knew that because of the wind, there would be a fight behind us towards certain points. And then we hoped that it would come to a standstill because the GC teams would be at the head of the peloton.
“But I don’t think we expected to end up that close. I knew the peloton would come soon. I just fell short. Breaks have often been caught in sight of the line.”
NOOOO! Mathieu van der Poel is caught by the peloton in the last km after being on the attack from KM 0. In total 172 km breakaway. Hats off to him and Rickaert, they made all the sprinter teams s**t themselves today. #TDF2025 pic.twitter.com/dLFTAcuroO
— Mihai Simion (@faustocoppi60) July 13, 2025
The effort didn’t go unrewarded. Alpecin worker bee Rickaert earned a trip to the Tour podium as the day’s most aggressive rider.
“That was the goal. Jonas had the dream of getting on the Tour podium and this was one of the opportunities,” he said. “I was the volunteer who was allowed to go on the road.”
Evenepoel buries the dream: ‘No friends today’
The sprinter teams finally put up the chase with none other than training buddy and fellow alpha Remco Evenepoel, who was doing some sled dog duty at the front to help eventual winner Tim Merlier kick to the team’s third stage win of the first half of the Tour.
Evenepoel and Van der Poel often hang out together in training camps along Spain’s Costa Blanca.
“I ride for Soudal Quick-Step, not Alpecin-Deceuninck,” Evenepoel said. “I told Tim I would be there and I would help. Sorry, Mathieu, no friends today.”