Mathieu Van Der Pol (Alpecin Phoenix), who won yellow in the 2021 Tour de France and pink in the Giro d'Italia this past May, has ruled out the possibility of returning to the maillot jaune this July.

Last July, Van der Pol won a stage in the first week and wore yellow for a long time in memory of his late grandfather Raymond Poulidor, who never wore the maillot jaune, in one of the most iconic moments of the entire Tour de France.

But despite finishing fifth in last year's mid-week time trial and holding the overall lead by eight seconds over Tadej Pogachar, Van der Pol had doubts about his chances of taking his third Grand Tour lead in a little over a year on Friday and wondered late in the race whether it was possible He was also cautious about whether it was possible later in the race.

"If I can finish in the top 10, for example, and do well in the time trial, I might be able to win the yellow jersey later in the race," he said. But it will be more difficult than last year."

Despite having the power to win the time trial and finishing in the top 10 several times throughout the year, van der Pol said that the technical battle is now up a level and the times are so tight that it is impossible, he said.

"To really be with the top you have to make a lot of small gains and be really busy throughout the year. You have to go for the 'ultimate aero' position, and that's not happening with my setup right now."

"But in the process, I've taken some steps to get better, and it's already showing in the results. But beating the specialists is not something I believe in."

That "few steps" includes, of course, the £2,750 skin suit provided by Czech and British firms Kalas and Vorteq for the Danish TT. There were also unconfirmed reports of a trip to the Silverstone wind tunnel in England.

Van der Pol said he was a fan of time trials, but claimed that "there are aspects of it that are becoming like Formula 1. Without the latest technology, the best aero position, there is no chance to even win. Power output alone is no longer enough.

After winning the opening stage of the Giro d'Italia and joining several breakaway groups in weeks 2 and 3, Van der Pol completed his first Grand Tour. He knew that his racing experience in Italy and his heartwarming relationship with the Tifosi, including wheelies in Stelvio and online jokes about how he likes pineapple on his pizza, would be his inspiration as he tackled the 2022 Tour de France.

"I hope it's as much fun as the Giro. It would be great to have a stage win as well."

He also said that he would "love to win the Giro.

The mood and atmosphere along the roadside this year has changed considerably, as he witnessed in Hungary and Italy during the Giro, and this was evident at the team presentation in Copenhagen, Van der Pol claimed. However, while motivating, it was not enough to produce top-level performances.

"It would help a little bit. Overall, the atmosphere is completely different from yesterday. It gives the race a different dynamism."

As for the skinsuit, van der Pol said he had yet to try it on or see it in action. He said, "I was in Livigno [high-altitude training], so they had to get it for me. So I think it's all about the little details, and if that's going to win me a few seconds, I guess I'll just have to try it on." "

This afternoon, Van der Pol heads to Denmark's 13.2km time trial course for a test run with skinsuits. 'We're trying out a few new things, mainly handlebars. The Danish course will give him an advantage, as it is a technical course similar to the Hungarian TT, where he finished second to Simon Yates (BikeExchange-Jayco) at the Giro d'Italia.

Van der Pol has said that he would like to complete a Grand Tour to improve as a rider, but with no race between the Giro and Tour, he will not have the opportunity to test that in a real race. In terms of training, however, the 27-year-old is not convinced that it will have a positive effect.

"No special changes yet. I took a week off after the Giro and it was a bit difficult to get back into the training mood. But the last two weeks I've been getting better and better and I'm looking forward to the next Grand Tour this year."

As for form, "I was in the same shape I was when I started the Giro.

Regarding his priorities for the 2022 race and his approach compared to 2021, van der Pol said his goals 12 months ago were markedly different. He said, "Back then, the main goal was to get the first two days and the yellow, and to succeed in that. If we lose 10 or 15 seconds, that's a good result and maybe we can try something until the Roubaix stage. Time trials hurt anyway. As I mentioned earlier this week, the idea of going for the green jersey remains ruled out anyway.

Other than the set piece result, his goal is "not that different from what I discovered in the Giro, and I can confirm that I'll be quite okay in week three. Of course, that was the only small question mark, but now there may be another small question mark. 12]

"But I'm feeling pretty good and I think I'm ready for a good run. Like in the Giro, I prefer to be in a big breakaway group than in a group all day, so if it's possible, I'll be there too."

"I'm not sure if I'll be in a group all day, but I'll be there.

And last but not least, teamwork is also important to Van der Pol. But if there's going to be a group sprint, I'm going to lead out for Jasper [Staven] on the flat stages."

"I'm not going to be in the group sprint, I'm not going to be in the group sprint.

But in any case, first the TT in Copenhagen on Friday, and then how Van der Pol will perform on the opening stage of his second Tour de France, despite his low-key approach. will no doubt be as high as or even higher than the TT in Budapest.