Mathieu van der Poel did not leave Stage 3 of the Tour de Suisse with a victory, but he did come away with something he had been searching for all week: des bonnes sensations, as the French say.
We cycling fans will also get a somewhat rare treat on Saturday, to see the Alpecin-Premier Tech rider go for it in a time trial.
As far as Stage 3, the multiple world ‘cross champ crossed the line fifth in Bad Ragaz after the day’s breakaway narrowly held off the charging peloton. Ecuador’s Jhonatan Narváez claimed the stage ahead of Belgium’s Xandro Meurisse, while Van der Poel found himself boxed in as the sprint unfolded. It seemed to be a day for the Classics star too, so he was a little miffed at the result.
Stage 3 finish of the Tour de Suisse
“I was a little trapped in the sprint, so I couldn’t really come through,” Van der Poel said to Algemeen Dagblad as per Wielerflits. “It wouldn’t have changed the result for the win, but we still came very close.”
His first idea had been to follow the early breakaway, but after seeing how closely rivals marked him, he switched plans and waited for the finale.
“Every time I tried to go, there was a strong reaction. I decided pretty early to save my energy and wait for the sprint. It’s a shame we came up just short.”
The 31-year-old admitted the opening few days were much too hot, and not to his liking. However, some recent cooler temps made him feel like his old self.
Set to give’er in the time trial
“Today felt a lot better than the first two days,” he said. “It was less hot and that immediately made a difference. I’m happy with how things went, and I was able to stay with the front group on the early climbs without any problems.”
Heavy rain during the stage also worked in his favour.
“It was pretty extreme, but I didn’t mind it at all,” he said.
Van der Poel believes the fatigue from a demanding training block with his team also played a role in his sluggish start to the week.
“It went a little worse than I had hoped,” he said. “We had a tough training camp where we worked really well as a team. Maybe I was still feeling that. Sometimes I just have to be patient.”
With an individual time trial still to come before Sunday’s mountain finale, Van der Poel plans to use the race as one final gauge of his form before the Tour begins.
“The plan is to go all out in the time trial and see how I feel,” he said. “I’ve spent more time training on the time trial bike because of the team time trial at the start of the Tour.”
The women will also be racing the TT this morning, so be sure to check back on Canadian Cycling Magazine for a report on Sarah Van Dam and Nadia Gontova’s ride.