Why is Van Aert doing push-ups before a tough mountain stage? And what does Van der Poel have to do with LeBron James?

Rest days in the Tour de France: for the riders, it's often a chance to take it easy, but for the marketing departments of the riders, teams and major sponsors, this means it's time to step up. This was the case at Alpecin-Deceuninck and Canyon, where world champion Mathieu van der Poel was featured in new campaigns.

First, the Belgian team launched another 'Merci Poupou' campaign, after the very successful launch in 2021, in honor of Van der Poel's grandfather, Raymond Poulidor. "Given that Van der Poel is the reigning world champion, it was an ideal opportunity to redesign his world champion jersey in the Poupou colors. Van der Poel's jersey also features a unique image of Raymond Poulidor and MVDP himself," said the team. A number of these limited-edition items will be auctioned off, with proceeds going to charity.

Bike sponsor Canyon also came out with the 'Find your Freedom' campaign, featuring not only Van der Poel but also famous basketball player LeBron James. "Cycling has always been a big part of my life. It gave me the freedom to not only reach destinations but also to achieve things that would otherwise have been unreachable," said the American.

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Then there is Wout van Aert, who is always up for something a little different. On Sunday, Sporza social media man Bavo Mortier was a guest at the Tour, where he was tasked by Sep Vanmarcke to find a rider who wanted to do twenty push-ups before the start of the tough mountain stage. Mortier reached out to Van Aert, who eagerly accepted and carried out the assignment. "A wonderful warm-up before the start, with twenty minutes of an immediate six watts per kilogram," the Belgian said on social media.

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What were Pogacar and Evenepoel up to on the rest day?

Yellow jersey Tadej Pogacar rode around with his mates but was also challenged by Tour de Tietema for their annual wheelie challenge. Whether the Slovenian accepted the challenge will be revealed soon on the YouTube channel of Bas Tietema and co.

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Then there’s white jersey Remco Evenepoel, who showcased his barista skills on the second and final rest day of the Tour de France. His team, Soudal Quick-Step, captured the white jersey holder’s barista talents on video.