After two grueling days, Van der Poel looks ahead: "Exactly what I need for the Classics"

Mathieu van der Poel had another opportunity Thursday in Tirreno-Adriatico, with a hilly stage ending in a sprint. The Alpecin-Deceuninck rider had already been active the day before, going for the stage win, but ultimately finished 20th in the stage won by Andrea Vendrame. On Thursday, he was once again sharp, even launching an attack in the final kilometers, before sprinting to third place, finishing behind Dutch compatriots Olav Kooij and Rick Pluimers.

On Wednesday, Van der Poel went on the attack in the final, trying to break away from the reduced peloton. However, he couldn’t create a gap, leaving him to contest the sprint—where things didn’t go as planned. "It was frustrating to get boxed in during the sprint because I felt like I still had the legs," the former world champion told Het Laatste Nieuws on Thursday morning.

Still, he wasn’t entirely dissatisfied, as he felt strong on the final climb. However, missing out on the stage win lingered in his mind—especially considering what’s still to come in Tirreno-Adriatico. "The efforts were good, but the goal was to win the stage. And to be honest, it was also my best chance for a stage win this week."

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Van der Poel has already finished 20th twice in this Tirreno-Adriatico

"A horrible day," Van der Poel reflects on miserable weather in Italy

Thursday brought another long stage of 190 kilometers for the riders. While that was still almost 50 kilometers shorter than the previous day, the weather at the start was once again dreadful. Though not as extreme as Wednesday, the rain continued to pour down at times throughout the stage in Italy. Bad weather like this can cause serious issues for riders, and Van der Poel was already aware of the risks before stage 4 even started.

While his teammate Jasper Philipsen was enjoying the Spanish sunshine, Van der Poel spent nearly seven hours cycling in the rain on Wednesday. "I was thinking about that too," the Dutchman admitted, referring to the much better weather conditions for his teammate. "It was a horrible day. Am I worried about getting sick? Yes, definitely. That would be disastrous for my spring season. But there’s not much we can do about it," Van der Poel concluded.

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Van der Poel Active in Stage 4: "I Wanted to Target the Sprint"

Van der Poel was back in action in stage 4, attacking in the final kilometers before securing third place, behind fellow Dutchmen Rick Pluimers and winner Olav Kooij. But the harsh conditions continued. "It was really cold," he told HLN. "I haven’t often experienced two days of this kind of weather in a row. Luckily, our team handled it well, and I was able to change into dry clothing twice during the race."

An attack in the final kilometers wasn’t part of the original plan. "I wanted to target the sprint since my legs weren’t great, but when Ben Healy attacked, I tried to react, hoping to break away with a small group." He still lacks a stage win in Tirreno-Adriatico, though he has another chance on Friday. However, his main focus remains the Classics. "Back-to-back hard efforts like this are exactly what I need. Now I just have to make sure I don’t get sick."

Extreme conditions in Paris-Nice as well

That riders can catch a cold in the Tirreno-Adriatico, that's for sure. But it can always be worse. In stage 4, the race was neutralized due to freezing temperatures, hail, and snow. After several stoppages, the peloton was allowed to continue, though not everyone was happy about it. "In my opinion, we should never have raced the final," said a frustrated Jonas Vingegaard after the stage. Many riders crossed the finish line severely chilled, and Stef Cras even abandoned with symptoms of hypothermia.

Thursday’s stage 5 was also hit by extreme cold and snow. Riders lined up heavily layered, bracing themselves for another brutal day on the bike. "I’m already cold," said Maximilian Schachmann before the start. "I’m wearing four layers, but I’m considering putting on a fifth." The risk of hypothermia remained a major concern, as Oliver Naesen pointed out. "It’s a numbers game: the more time you spend riding in the cold, the greater the chance of getting sick. So, I’ll be racing a bit less aggressively than I would at 20 degrees."

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