Mathieu van der Poel Withdraws from Tour de France Due to Pneumonia
Mathieu van der Poel will not participate in the 16th stage of the Tour de France on Tuesday, which concludes on Mont Ventoux. Alpecin-Deceuninck has announced that the Dutch cyclist has been diagnosed with pneumonia. Reports 24brussels.
The 30-year-old rider previously triumphed in the second stage of this year’s Tour de France to Boulogne-sur-Mer, wearing the yellow jersey for four consecutive days. The team reported that “over the past few days, Mathieu showed symptoms of a common cold.” His condition deteriorated significantly, culminating in a fever by the evening of the previous day, necessitating a visit to the Centre Hospitalier de Narbonne for further evaluations.
Rest and recovery are essential
Medical tests confirmed the diagnosis of pneumonia. After consulting with the medical team, it was determined that van der Poel would not continue competing, emphasizing, “His health is the absolute priority now. Rest and recovery are essential.”
Further Medical Checks Required
Van der Poel is expected to require at least a week of rest, with additional medical assessments scheduled to outline the subsequent steps in his recovery.
This withdrawal marks the third instance out of five Tour appearances in which van der Poel has been unable to finish the race. He previously withdrew during his 2021 debut after winning the stage to Mûr-de-Bretagne and again in 2022. However, he successfully completed the races in both 2023 and 2024.
