Hot tea for Wout Poels’ numb hands | Tour de France

sport">“Well, that’s okay. Of course I would have preferred to wear the jersey a little longer, but when I see the standings in the mountains classification, there are still plenty of opportunities for me. I did my best to defend the leadership. Only, that did not work out and I have to blame it again for that,” says Poels, who had started with a shrewd plan in the second stage through the Alps.

sport">Until about 90 kilometers after the start, he wanted to fully participate in the points battle. With competitors like Michael Woods and Nairo Quintana, he knew it would be a big fight. “On the first mountain of the first category I grabbed the full loot, that was nice. However, because it rained so much, I got colder and I noticed that everything went less smoothly. I don’t know what it is, but when you get so hypothermic, the brain doesn’t function optimally either. In the meantime, you have to stay sharp up to and including, especially in those wet descents.”

sport">His energy supply dwindled visibly and with it his climbing abilities. “With only eleven points behind Quintana, anything is possible. Along the way, I was still afraid that the Colombian would again perform one of his usual tricks: take the maximum points score and finally win the stage. Fortunately, he parked in time,” said Poels, who collected 39 points in the Alps, against 50 for the South American.

–