It wasn't two in a row for Mathieu in the Tour of Luxembourg. In the streets of Schifflange, the overall race leader was beaten in the sprint by Mads Pedersen, one of his rivals in the classics. After the race, the world champion was content with second place, as he mentioned in the flash interview.
After his victory in the opening stage, the second stage also presented opportunities for Van der Poel. However, in the end, the finale wasn't challenging enough, and he had to face the faster Pedersen in the sprint, who ultimately proved too strong. "It went quite well today," the Dutchman said with satisfaction. "The last five kilometers were very hectic and also super fast, which made it a difficult sprint. All in all, I'm happy with second place."
Due to illness, Van der Poel's team now consists of only two riders. "It went okay," he said, as the small Alpecin-Deceuninck team had no major issues controlling the race on Thursday. "We're doing what we can, and besides, we're mainly here for stage wins. Tomorrow, we'll see if we can control the stage. Today, that worked out quite well."
Read more below the photo.
Van der Poel prepares for toughest stage in Luxembourg
The third stage to Diekirch is significantly tougher. During the last thirty kilometers of the stage in particular, the course is all uphill and downhill. "Tomorrow it will be almost impossible to control the race, but we'll see," Van der Poel said realistically. To win the overall race, he will need to deliver on Friday. The strong teams of Visma | Lease a Bike and UAE Team Emirates will certainly make things difficult for him. "I'm looking forward to tomorrow's stage, which I expect will be the toughest. It'll be a good day to test the legs. This week is perfect for preparing for Zurich," Van der Poel concluded the interview.
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