Mathieu van der Poel won the yellow jersey that his beloved grandfather could not get as he powered up Mur-de-Bretagne to win an emotional stage in the Tour de France.
Tadej Paogacar and Primoz Rodriglic strengthened their case for being the top contenders to wear yellow in Paris. Geraint Thomas was also slow, but Van der Poel took the leader’s shirt off Julian Alaphilippe.
The Dutchman, a grandson of the late Tour legend Raymond Poulidor executed the plan perfectly. He used the first of two climbs to claim bonus seconds and then raced clear for the victory in the final 700m.
Poulidor, who was 83 years old, finished second in the Tour overall three times and third five more times in the 1960s, 70s, and 70s eras. Eddy Merckx and Jacques Anquetil dominated the era, but Poulidor’s grandson achieved that feat in his second day of the race.
As he crossed the finish line, the Tour debutant raised his eyes to the heavens. Then, he collapsed in tears as the realization sink in.
The 26-year old said, “I don’t have any words, I don’t know what to speak.”
“I gambled a bit, I played all I have because I knew that I needed the bonus seconds to get the jersey. It was also my last chance at the yellow jersey. It’s amazing.
“(I’m thinking about) my grandad, obviously.”
