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

[Nick2413]

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.

I don’t think it’s a given they’re automatically better now than then. That might be the plan, but I don’t think he came to Strade to get 15th either.

 

[frisenfruitig]

I don’t think it’s a given they’re automatically better now than then. That might be the plan, but I don’t think he came to Strade to get 15th either.

It's basically a given unless they are seriously messing up their preparation.

Of course he was hoping for a better result but it wasn't terrible either. I'm not saying he's already at 100 %, just that he is better than during the winter.

CX is of minor importance at this point in their careers, they aren't going to bother peaking for CX knowing their big goals are in spring. Why would they, even in their worst shape they are much stronger than the rest of the field in CX.

 

[Bolder]

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

Otoh Pidcock's plan to skip the CX Worlds is looking brilliant...

 

[Extinction]

Otoh Pidcock's plan to skip the CX Worlds is looking brilliant...

Pidcock won Alpe d'Huez. He can skip CX Worlds.

 

[Bolder]

Pidcock won Alpe d'Huez. He can skip CX Worlds.

I meant that his stated reason for doing so was to prepare for his spring goals.

 

[Extinction]

I meant that his stated reason for doing so was to prepare for his spring goals.

Of course, we know that.

 

[Lequack]

Mathieu van der Poel: "I will start with the same approach as Wout in Tirreno-Adriatico, I will also choose my days"

Mathieu van der Poel verstandig: “Ik ga meer gecalculeerd rijden in de Tirreno”

Een dag na de Strade Bianche heeft het peloton zich in Toscane van het schilderachtige Siena naar kustplaats Lido di Camaiore verplaatst. Maandag start op een steenworp afstand van Lucca de rittenkoers Tirreno-Adriatico met een 11,5 kilometer lange tijdrit langs de kust. Voor Mathieu van der...

www.wielerflits.nl

 

[Riek s]

Otoh Pidcock's plan to skip the CX Worlds is looking brilliant...

ITs still a month before the classics that mvp wants to win, so he doesn't need to be top yet.. and this year is was probably harder to win when not in top shape. Not sure how in form pidcock is, but he made SB a real target i believe.

 

[Eeslliw]

Mathieu van der Poel: "I will start with the same approach as Wout in Tirreno-Adriatico, I will also choose my days"

Mathieu van der Poel verstandig: “Ik ga meer gecalculeerd rijden in de Tirreno”

Een dag na de Strade Bianche heeft het peloton zich in Toscane van het schilderachtige Siena naar kustplaats Lido di Camaiore verplaatst. Maandag start op een steenworp afstand van Lucca de rittenkoers Tirreno-Adriatico met een 11,5 kilometer lange tijdrit langs de kust. Voor Mathieu van der...

www.wielerflits.nl

The question is, will they choose the same days or take turns?

 

[CyclistAbi]

Mathieu van der Poel: "I will start with the same approach as Wout in Tirreno-Adriatico, I will also choose my days"

Mathieu van der Poel verstandig: “Ik ga meer gecalculeerd rijden in de Tirreno”

Een dag na de Strade Bianche heeft het peloton zich in Toscane van het schilderachtige Siena naar kustplaats Lido di Camaiore verplaatst. Maandag start op een steenworp afstand van Lucca de rittenkoers Tirreno-Adriatico met een 11,5 kilometer lange tijdrit langs de kust. Voor Mathieu van der...

www.wielerflits.nl

Read that as when van Aert goes then i go.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

The question is, will they choose the same days or take turns?

Week 1 - Wout, week 2 - Mathieu, week 3 - oh wait...

 

[stonerider]

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.

I wouldn't say they've always prepared in the best way. Both have burned themselves out racing hard in Tirreno before the spring monuments.

 

[Axel Hangleck]

To be honest, a week of racing at Tirreno will do him good; as long as he doesn't overdo it. Strade was his first road race since the aborted Road Worlds 6 months ago. (I haven't counted the Gravel Worlds). And he didn't have many races before that after the TdF disaster. He's basically short of 'match fitness'.

 

[senna6541]

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.

Yeah, but it was the one that counted.

 

[senna6541]

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.

Both were in their best shape for a 1 hour CX race - as in there is not another human being on the planet that could have stayed on their wheel that day.

 

[senna6541]

MVDP

Otoh Pidcock's plan to skip the CX Worlds is looking brilliant...

I'm sure Piddy will another WC in CX, but it will the first real one. He's not and will never be in the same class as MVDP (or Wout for that matter) in that discipline. Let's see what happens if they meet in Paris for the MTB gold medal. That will be the one that counts between those two. Piddy's small stature does make him more versatile on the road than MVDP without a doubt.

 

[frisenfruitig]

Both were in their best shape for a 1 hour CX race - as in there is not another human being on the planet that could have stayed on their wheel that day.

I don't believe that. They could have been much stronger if they bothered to prepare for the CX season like the riders to whom the CX is actually their main objective (Iserbyt, Vantourenhout etc.). I realize this is hard to believe considering they blow away the rest of the competition every CX race but it is what it is.

 

[Barkintheeye]

To be honest, a week of racing at Tirreno will do him good; as long as he doesn't overdo it. Strade was his first road race since the aborted Road Worlds 6 months ago. (I haven't counted the Gravel Worlds). And he didn't have many races before that after the TdF disaster. He's basically short of 'match fitness'.

You shouldn't count the WC Gravel race. There Mathieu rode it like a recovery race (to control the peloton and to let Vermeersch to go clear). As a master I was riding the mid section of the race faster than Mathieu so I take it he was close to falling asleep just keeping himself upright

 

[jono]

Interesting result from him today. Probably not quite an all-out effort, but also not exactly taking it easy like you presume Wout did, who finished a further 25 seconds behind.

 

[Barkintheeye]

TA stage 1 (ITT): A #14 place a bit in front of WVA and "only" 50 sec after Ganna that won decisively . Good start!

 

[Netserk]

Probably not quite an all-out effort

Probably it was.

 

[Boes]

I don't see the harm in 13 minute effort for an athlete peaking to their best form.
Both MVP and WVA should have gone all out.

 

[gerundium]

nice little long sprint effort today from MVDP. getting ready for that Amstel 2019 fitness

 

[Ricco']

nice little long sprint effort today from MVDP. getting ready for that Amstel 2019 fitness

He just needs to learn to see if the team is together tho.

He probably killed Sinkeldam's legs and made Philipsen start from way far out that the optimal position when he went for it without checking if the team was on his wheel.

 

[senna6541]

He just needs to learn to see if the team is together tho.

He probably killed Sinkeldam's legs and made Philipsen start from way far out that the optimal position when he went for it without checking if the team was on his wheel.

Yeah, it's funny how MVDP just seems a bit out of place in the "peloton" in general. Seems like he much prefers CX and MTB to the road - other than when it becomes straight up mano y mano. All the dicking around and square dancing they do on the stages like today don't seem to suit his temperament. If the form builds and he feels it, he probably won't be able to help himself on Thursday and will blow things up.