Sick, the Dutchman, in the running to get the green jersey, abandoned the attack on the third week of the Tour de France.
Mathieu van der Poel will not bring the green jersey on the Champs-Elysées. Third in the point ranking, the Dutchman could still hope to win the famous tunic. Las, the leader of the Alpecin-Deceuninck training will not be at the start of the 16e Step, this Tuesday.
“Mathieu has been presenting cold symptoms for a few days, said the Belgian team in a press release. Yesterday afternoon, his condition began to deteriorate significantly. The team doctor followed him closely throughout the day. Towards evening, Mathieu developed fever. »»
The situation has so much degraded that he was taken to the hospital in the evening to spend a battery of exams and learn that he was suffering from pneumonia. “In consultation with the medical staff, it was decided that he could no longer participate in the race. His health is our absolute priority, and rest and recovery are now essential ”, said the press release, adding that the Dutchman was going “” Rest at least a full week “” before performing “New examinations to assess its recovery and determine the next steps in its rehabilitation”.
Third in the ranking not points
Winner of the second stage arriving in Boulogne-sur-Mer, Mathieu Van der Poel had also worn the yellow jersey for several days. Very active since the start of the round, he was still in the race to pick up the green jersey since he had only 41 disbursements on Jonathan Milan.
The former world champion, winner of Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix in the spring, was nevertheless hard for several days. “How am I going after this cold?” Not terrible. I don’t get well ”He had entrusted Sunday despite his presence at the front of the race.
