Willies, giant flags, selfie sticks - Van der Pol soaks up the Giro atmosphere

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Willies, giant flags, selfie sticks - Van der Pol soaks up the Giro atmosphere

Mathieu Van der Pol will complete his first full Grand Tour on Sunday.

The Dutchman, who won the opening stage in Hungary and wore the leader's jersey on three stages, has remained active ever since.

As the race became more mountainous, he broke into numerous breakaway groups and came very close to victory on stage 17 in Lavarone. But when he's not at the front, he enjoys racing from the back, doing wheelies and high-fiving fans on the final climb of almost every stage.

He performed his first stunt on stage 14 in Turin and again on stage 16 in Valico di Santa Cristina. On Saturday, he again entertained his fans on the final climb of the final mountain stage, when he had already joined the breakaway group.

On Passo Fedaia, also known as Marmolada, van der Pol performed a one-handed wheelie, holding the wheelie for a long time on the steep climb.

A short time later, he was involved in more tomfoolery when Pascal Enkhorn (Jumbo Visma) snatched a giant Colombian flag from a spectator along the roadside and began poking the rider. Van der Pol watched smilingly as his compatriot continued up the mountain, waving the flag.

On the same ascent, van der Poel, who was standing alongside Eenkhorn, took a selfie stick from a spectator and began filming. At the top, van der Poel was signing autographs for young fans.

While the dramatic scene on the mountain swapped control of the race, the video below shows the fun often found behind the race. To watch the video, click "See More" in the embedded article below.

Van der Pol, who made his Grand Tour debut at last year's Tour de France, also took a stage win and the leader's jersey, but retired after a week. He will run the final time trial of the Giro on Sunday, completing the first three-week race of his career.

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