Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) will return to motion for the primary time after being forced out of the Tour de France with pneumonia at a criterium within the Netherlands on Sunday.
Van der Poel had been racing the very best Tour de France of his profession as much as the unlucky finish to his race, profitable the second stage, sporting the yellow jersey twice, and lighting up the motion a number of instances alongside total winner Tadej Pogačar (UAE Group Emirates) within the first week.
Alpecin-Deceuninck announced he was suffering from pneumonia, after his common cold symptoms on the second rest day significantly worsened ahead of the day to Mont Ventoux.
The Dutchman has been in recovery ever since he left the Tour before the start of the 16th stage, first returning to riding outdoors with the likes of teammate Jasper Philipsen, then heading to Spain to train in recent weeks, and now he’s fit enough to start a race.
It will just be at an exhibition event; however, at the Profronde Etten-Leur on Sunday, but the organisers were, of course, delighted to announce Van der Poel as their headline starter.
“Mathieu van der Poel will start this coming Sunday in the Las Montage Holland Profronde in Etten-Leur. Four days in yellow, fighting for every second. The Tour’s star rider simply can’t miss out on this year’s race,” read a post on the organiser’s Instagram. “Races to savor. That is what his DNA dictates.
“It is not at all a on condition that now we have absolutely the elite of biking in the beginning line in Etten-Leur yearly,” stated chairman Ronnie Buiks. “Mathieu belongs in Etten-Leur, and we have performed our half to make sure that.”
Following the criterium look, the remainder of Van der Poel’s 2025 season is anticipated to revolve across the Mountain Bike World Championships in Switzerland in September, with no look on the Vuelta a España or highway Worlds at present scheduled.
Introduced alongside the Dutchman on the beginning listing for Etten-Leur will probably be a number of different huge stars, together with the Tour de France Femmes winner Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, world champion Lotte Kopecky, and Tour stage winners Tim Wellens and Thymen Arensman.
