Teams & Riders The "MVP" Mathieu Van der Poel Road Discussion Thread

[Berniece]

Any word on his training? All is silent, is he chilling in Belgium or enjoying that Italian scenery?

At least not on Strava, but after the WC he went on vacation for a couple of days and then training at altitude

 

[tobydawq]

Any word on his training? All is silent, is he chilling in Belgium or enjoying that Italian scenery?

Saw this article: GvA says Omloop would have extra "cachet" with WvA/MvdP there. Greg's becoming quite the commentator lately.

I think Greg must be the favourite given that he is the highest finisher from last year who participates this year.

 

[Panda Claws]

Maths

 

[Ricco']

Any word on his training? All is silent, is he chilling in Belgium or enjoying that Italian scenery?

Saw this article: GvA says Omloop would have extra "cachet" with WvA/MvdP there. Greg's becoming quite the commentator lately.

He's in Spain, I think

 

[RedheadDane]

Mathieu, listen to your mother!

https://twitter.com/x/status/1628378011945795593

(A reaction to that Pidcock descend.)

 

[jono]

Any word on his training? All is silent, is he chilling in Belgium or enjoying that Italian scenery?

Although you won't see his activities on Strava, his ride count on his profile has been going up by one almost every day, since about a week after CX worlds. So he's training and uploading, just setting everything to private.

 

[senna6541]

I kind've like when he goes dark - adds a bit of mystery. For all the criticism he gets about being "unprofessional", he also has a reputation for being able to handle huge training loads. You have to be massively strong to put someone of WVA's freakish caliber under pressure from the word go in a one hour race. If everything has gone smoothly (for the first time in while) since Hoogerheide, we could very well see full MVDP beast mode on display at SB. Too bad Pogi won't be there to take his turn in the pain closet.

 

[postmanhat]

I kind've like when he goes dark - adds a bit of mystery. For all the criticism he gets about being "unprofessional", he also has a reputation for being able to handle huge training loads. You have to be massively strong to put someone of WVA's freakish caliber under pressure from the word go in a one hour race. If everything has gone smoothly (for the first time in while) since Hoogerheide, we could very well see full MVDP beast mode on display at SB. Too bad Pogi won't be there to take his turn in the pain closet.

It's possible, but he's only had three race days since dropping out of the TDF. And although he was improving this winter, still not near his 20 or 21 form?

Hope he's back to somewhere near his best as I much prefer watching him on the road to CX. He has to be a bit more tactical, but will always try to animate a race in a way few other riders do.

 

[DaLong]

Van der Poel emerges from the darkness, on the white roads of Italy, courtesy of his team:

 

[OlavEH]

I'm still waiting for a peak classics season by Van der Poel. There are and have been better riders in total (like Pogacar at the moment), but I'm not sure if I've ever seen a rider with a higher top level in a specific type of races, that is the races with short and steep hills like Strade, RVV, etc. Van der Poel is able to win about all races from Strade to Amstel. It is of course almost impossible to sustain a peak form that long but winning 2 monuments (2 of MSR, RVV and PR) and a couple of semi-classics in one spring classics season should be possible.

 

[limak_]

It's possible, but he's only had three race days since dropping out of the TDF. And although he was improving this winter, still not near his 20 or 21 form?

Hope he's back to somewhere near his best as I much prefer watching him on the road to CX. He has to be a bit more tactical, but will always try to animate a race in a way few other riders do.

I wouldn't be much worried about that. Last year he was able to cover all Pogi's and WvA's attacks on Poggio after like 3 weeks of proper training and the whole winter ruined by his back problems. Two weeks later he won Dwars door Vlaanderen and De Ronde, then was 4th at Amstel and 9th at Roubaix.

He raced 15 CX races this winter, so in terms of "racing legs" he's better in that regard than most of the riders starting on Saturday.

 

[jono]

I'm still waiting for a peak classics season by Van der Poel. There are and have been better riders in total (like Pogacar at the moment), but I'm not sure if I've ever seen a rider with a higher top level in a specific type of races, that is the races with short and steep hills like Strade, RVV, etc. Van der Poel is able to win about all races from Strade to Amstel. It is of course almost impossible to sustain a peak form that long but winning 2 monuments (2 of MSR, RVV and PR) and a couple of semi-classics in one spring classics season should be possible.

Indeed. 2019 showed what a near-peak MVDP could do (winning Denain, Dwars, Brabantse Pijl and Amstel, and 4th in Gent-Wevelgem and 4th in the Ronde where he was probably the strongest rider). MVDP in 2020 won his one target of the fall-spring classics season in a year where much of the early season would have been geared towards Tokyo 2020. 2021 and 2022, despite some big wins in each year, were disappointing due to a variety of factors that we can all list.

Jumbo-Visma, as a group, are probably a more formidable opponent than any other classics team of the last few years but his Alpecin squad is probably also better support than he's enjoyed previously as well.

 

[stonerider]

I guess like Wout, MvdP's form also took a dive after the CX World Championships. Maybe he can make some improvements for Flanders and Paris Roubaix.

 

[Ricco']

Was expecting more but I don't think this result is of any concern.

When he blitzed this race in 2021 he already had started on the UAE Tour (only did a stage, but it was a big effort in the crosswinds) and did KBK (big long solo) and Le Samyn, so he had already hard racing miles in the legs and should be in a better condition.

Let's see if he shows more in Tirreno to see whether or not we should be concerned for Sanremo.

 

[jono]

Last year he came out flying in his first race (MSR) but was cooked less than a month later at Paris-Roubaix. He says he was expecting something like today's result, and while I'm sure he's disappointed, hopefully this is a sign of a proper build-up to the spring's real goals, which are surely Flanders and Roubaix.

 

[senna6541]

Well, you never really know what you might get with MVDP given he can deliver the spectacular when it's not really logical. But today's race probably says he is right on track to be good at RVV and PR - versus '21 when he was clearly lesser at RVV than at SB and TA. Probably got a serious training effect today and he'll build properly from here. Fanboys like me want to see him win everything, but I'll take the CX World Championships (will probably go down as the best bike race of '23) and a nice build towards a RVV/PR double with maybe a SR thrown in for good measure and call it a good first half of '23. Then throw in a Yellow jersey and a Road WC and it's all good. Of course it will still be a bit disappointing that we don't get to see him tear it up on the MTB, but you have to be realistic, no?

 

[Nick2413]

Well, you never really know what you might get with MVDP given he can deliver the spectacular when it's not really logical. But today's race probably says he is right on track to be good at RVV and PR - versus '21 when he was clearly lesser at RVV than at SB and TA. Probably got a serious training effect today and he'll build properly from here. Fanboys like me want to see him win everything, but I'll take the CX World Championships (will probably go down as the best bike race of '23) and a nice build towards a RVV/PR double with maybe a SR thrown in for good measure and call it a good first half of '23. Then throw in a Yellow jersey and a Road WC and it's all good. Of course it will still be a bit disappointing that we don't get to see him tear it up on the MTB, but you have to be realistic, no?

That CX race was nice and all but not even his most exciting CX race this year. Hopefully he uses TA to build and doesn’t go overboard and is in perfect shape by Flanders.

 

[Tonton]

If you're not at 100%, Strade will expose you. MVP has been racing a lot, he lacked freshness, no worries. The big stuff is coming and he'll be ready.

 

[DaLong]

I mean, he took a month off, if anything I'd say he lacked racing endurance. Going from hour long cyclocross races to doing long training rides isn't going to quite cut it. Tirreno-Adriatico should help a ton with this. I am just glad he didn't try to go as deep as possible to catch up to Pidcock, the fatigue from that level of ride likely would've cut into the adaptations T-A will help with.

 

[tobydawq]

I mean, he took a month off, if anything I'd say he lacked racing endurance. Going from hour long cyclocross races to doing long training rides isn't going to quite cut it. Tirreno-Adriatico should help a ton with this. I am just glad he didn't try to go as deep as possible to catch up to Pidcock, the fatigue from that level of ride likely would've cut into the adaptations T-A will help with.

You don't ride Strade if you're not prepared to ride hard. He didn't catch up to Pidcock because he couldn't.

 

[frisenfruitig]

I guess like Wout, MvdP's form also took a dive after the CX World Championships. Maybe he can make some improvements for Flanders and Paris Roubaix.

Their form didn't take a dive, they are both in better shape now than they were then. Neither of them were even close to their best shape at the CX WC.

 

[kingjr]

Last year he came out flying in his first race (MSR) but was cooked less than a month later at Paris-Roubaix. He says he was expecting something like today's result, and while I'm sure he's disappointed, hopefully this is a sign of a proper build-up to the spring's real goals, which are surely Flanders and Roubaix.

Comparing MSR to Strade is pointless in any case.

 

[Extinction]

Comparing MSR to Strade is pointless in any case.

Not on terms of momentum. If MvdP benefits from Strade in his legs, as he assumes, then after Terreno he could be flying.

 

[stonerider]

Their form didn't take a dive, they are both in better shape now than they were then. Neither of them were even close to their best shape at the CX WC.

Really? What was their functional threshold power at CX Worlds versus now?

 

[frisenfruitig]

Really? What was their functional threshold power at CX Worlds versus now?

Neither of them are going to ruin their preparation for the spring classics in order to peak for the CX Worlds. They don't need to be in their best shape to compete for the win in CX.