Van der Poel wants to wear yellow again and has already marked the stage in which he will try to do so

Just a few days before the start of the Tour de France 2026, Mathieu van der Poel has acknowledged that one of his main goals is to wear the yellow jersey again. The Dutchman will face his sixth participation in the Grande Boucle with the calmness of someone who has already fulfilled much of his sporting dreams, but without giving up on adding more special moments in the most important race of the calendar.

Mathieu van der Poel looks to yellow again: “We will try” in the Tour de France 2026

In an interview with the Dutch public television NOS during his pre-Tour training camp, Van der Poel admitted that the possibility of leading the general classification is part of his plans, although he is aware that the initial route does not favor him as much as in other occasions. “We hope to surprise, but it will be difficult,” he explained about the opening team time trial in Barcelona. “We have invested a lot of time in preparing for it, and with the riders we have, we should be able to achieve a good time.”

The leader of Alpecin-Deceuninck believes that the first day should mainly serve to stay close to the best and arrive with options for the second stage, which will finish at the Montjuïc circuit. “The plan is to stay in the fight to try to go for the yellow in the following days,” he pointed out.

Montjuïc appears as the first big opportunity

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The second stage presents a much more favorable profile for the characteristics of the Dutchman, with several ascents to the demanding Montjuïc circuit before the finish in Barcelona. However, Van der Poel knows he will face the main favorites of the race.

“You have riders like Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, and Remco Evenepoel. If they set it as a goal, it will be very difficult, but we will try,”, he assured.

It would not be the first time that the world champion manages to surprise in an explosive finish to don the yellow jersey. He already achieved it in his debut in 2021 when he won the stage at Mûr-de-Bretagne on a day filled with symbolism in memory of his grandfather, Raymond Poulidor. Four years later, he repeated the story by winning in Boulogne-sur-Mer and regaining the lead in the race.

A different Van der Poel

At 31 years old, Van der Poel acknowledges that he approaches cycling with a different perspective than in his early years as a professional. The Dutchman continues to pursue victories, but without the constant pressure that accompanied him for much of his career.

“Everything that comes now is a bonus. I no longer have to prove anything. My career has been more than successful,” he stated. “Of course, I still push myself because I want to win the most beautiful and important races, but if it doesn’t happen, I can also live with it.”

This new mentality was recently reflected in the time trial at the Tour of Switzerland, where he was close to achieving victory until Pogacar surpassed him by just 31 hundredths. Rather than getting frustrated, Van der Poel preferred to focus on the positive feelings.

“I prefer to see the bright side. This time trial confirms that we have worked well over the last few weeks,” he explained.

The indelible memory of 2021

Although he dreams of wearing yellow again, Van der Poel admits that it will be hard to surpass what he experienced in his first Tour. That victory at Mûr-de-Bretagne, dedicated to Poulidor, still holds a special place in his memory.

“It will always be the most important moment. For me, there can be nothing more beautiful than that,” he confessed.

Since then, he has accumulated ten days wearing yellow in the Tour de France, six in 2021 and four in 2025. Now he will seek to increase that number in an edition that will start this Saturday in Barcelona, where Montjuïc could offer him a new opportunity to return to the top of the general classification.