Mathieu van der Poel: I owe it to my sponsors to participate in the Tour de France

OUDENAARDE BELGIUM OCTOBER 18 Arrival Mathieu Van Der Poel of The Netherlands and Team AlpecinFenix Celebration Press Media during the 104th Tour of Flanders 2020 Ronde van Vlaanderen Men Elite a 2433km race from Antwerpen to Oudenaarde RVV20 FlandersClassic on October 18 2020 in Oudenaarde Belgium Photo by Luc ClaessenGetty Images
Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) celebrates victory at 2020 Tour of Flanders (Image credit: Getty Images Sport)

Mathieu van der Poel has suggested that he will race in the Tour de France in 2021 for his sponsors, according to a report in Sporza. The Dutch rider, who races for Alpecin-Fenix, said that he owed it to his sponsors to make his French Grand Tour debut as he maintains focus on the Tokyo Olympic Games next summer.

"I think I owe it to the sponsors to participate in the Tour," Van der Poel told Sporza. "The season is a difficult puzzle and not only my own ambitions count. I never underestimate the importance of the sponsors. Without them there is no sport. But I can't quite do what I want."

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