Tough news for cycling fans — Mathieu van der Poel is out of the Tour de France. His Alpecin-Deceuninck team confirmed Tuesday that he won’t start Stage 16 due to pneumonia.
The 30-year-old had been feeling off over the past few days. According to the team, his condition worsened noticeably after the second rest day. Tests confirmed pneumonia, and doctors made the call to withdraw him from the race.
“Mathieu had been experiencing symptoms of a common cold over the past few days,” read a statement from the team. “Yesterday afternoon, his condition began to worsen significantly.”
Mathieu van der Poel: ‘I sometimes wonder how the others recover so well’
Van der Poel had been third in the green jersey standings, although a ways behind Lidl Trek’s Jonathan Milan.
His departure adds to a rough run for Alpecin-Deceuninck, who lost Jasper Philipsen to a crash early in the race. Philipsen had taken the first stage and worn yellow briefly before exiting with injuries.
We regret to announce that @mathieuvdpoel is forced to abandon the @LeTour prematurely.
Mathieu had been experiencing symptoms of a common cold over the past few days. Yesterday afternoon, his condition began to worsen significantly. The team doctor monitored him closely… pic.twitter.com/wfVkP1Z1JG
— Alpecin-Deceuninck Cycling Team (@AlpecinDCK) July 22, 2025
Van der Poel had a pretty solid Tour. He grabbed the yellow jersey after Stage 2 in Boulogne-sur-Mer, then nearly pulled off a gutsy 171-kilometre attack with his teammmate— only to be caught inside the final km.
As Israel–Premier Tech’s Mike Woods once said: “Cycling is a cruel, cruel sport.”
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Canadian Cycling Magazine…