Yellow jersey aside, what kit is Mathieu van der Poel using at the Tour de France?

Mathieu van der Poel reminds me of football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo. Stick with me, Cyclingnews readers, I’ll explain.

Ronaldo transformed himself from a dazzling winger, with a penchant for stepovers and tricks over the final result, into an all-time great with an incredible goal-scoring record.

Mathieu van der Poel has never favoured style over substance. But the crazy long-range attacks are gone. When he’s in form and has targeted a race, the current leader of this year’s Tour de France is lethal, with the power and confidence to deliver, almost every time.

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He rode at his limit over the punchy climbs at the end of Stage 2, and this is the impressive bit, then confidently sat on the front around the final right-hand bend at the finish before delivering his sprint to win the stage.

He was confident no one would be able to come around him if he led it out. He pushed a bigger gear than Tadej Pogačar and smoked the best riders in the world.

He then followed up that performance with another exceptional ride today during stage 4, following the world’s best climbers, this time just losing out to world champion Tadej Pogačar, but doing enough to pip Vingegaard to the line and retain the yellow jersey.

(Image credit: Dario Belingheri / Staff)

The Dutchman’s bike and equipment have been fairly constant for years. Nothing much seems to change at Alpecin-Deceuninck equipment-wise, bar a fairly recent tyre change from Vittoria to Pirelli.

His kit and equipment combine for an overall look that just works. It somehow all feels very familiar; there aren’t any insane bits of kit generally (unless you count a very expensive watch), it’s all function, high-end stuff that helps him deliver.

For a bit of distraction from the Prime Day deals hunt, I’ve run through the Dutchman’s kit and equipment for a look at what he uses, and how much it would cost if you wanted to replicate it yourself.

No, it won’t help you win a Tour stage, but it is all top-end equipment that could provide an advantage, and by a stroke of Prime Day coincidence, some of it is discounted right now, including, surprisingly, the Dutchman’s signature Oakleys.

Head to our Amazon Prime Day Live hub and Prime Day bike deals page for a roundup of all the best deals around.

Mathieu van der Poel’s equipment

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