Mathieu van der Poel pulls out of Tour de France with pneumonia

MONTPELLIER, France (AP) — Mathieu van der Poel has withdrawn from the Tour de France ahead of Tuesday’s stage up to the Mont Ventoux as he suffers from pneumonia, his team said.

The versatile Dutchman, who wore the yellow jersey and won a stage during the opening week of the race, experienced “symptoms of a common cold over the past few days,” his Alpecin-Deceuninck team said a few hours before Stage 16.

Van der Poel’s condition worsened “significantly” during Monday’s second rest day and was taken to an hospital in the southern city of Narbonne with a fever for further examinations.

“Medical tests revealed that Mathieu is suffering from pneumonia,” the team said. “In consultation with the medical staff, it was decided that he can no longer continue the race. His health is the top priority, and rest and recovery are now essential.”

Van der Poel will now rest for a week before further medical examinations determine the next steps in his recovery, his team added.

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