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

[masking_agent]

I don't know if this was posted before , but I think he's the only one riding Paris Roubaix without gloves ? I can't believe his hands can handle that thrashing ?

 

[Didinho]

I don't know if this was posted before , but I think he's the only one riding Paris Roubaix without gloves ? I can't believe his hands can handle that thrashing ?

You got more friction on the cobbles with gloves. He also rides them in the bracket, if that's what it called in English. Not on the top, but like a sprinter. And double handlebar tape.

 

[Nick2413]

I don't know if this was posted before , but I think he's the only one riding Paris Roubaix without gloves ? I can't believe his hands can handle that thrashing ?

Not nearly as long of a race but Kopecky didn’t in the women’s race. I also recall noting at least one other guy in the top 10 on the men’s but not sure who.

 

[velaso montador]

immensely impressive watching this guy on this form, one thing is his win but for me the way he usually wins to is as impressive as the win with this guy usually, just such a beast.

I read he said he was pretty close to his Glasgow form. Gonne be really fun to see what he can do in Amstel again or if hes starting to get tired.

 

[RobertCrawley]

That hat was thrown right at his back wheel. Someone was trying to do damage.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1776981610249748987

View: https://x.com/eurosport/status/1776981610249748987

 

[RobertCrawley]

Do people really follow these advices? I wear the FR955 all the time but it gives me such stupid recommendations, like I've had my easy morning run almost 10 hours ago but even now it recommends 23 hours of recovery time and constantly suggests runs at a joke 5:30 pace or rest days. Of course I never follow them.

The only value of these watches is that you can see your pace while you're running, accurate GPS and you can connect your chest strap to it. Sometimes a map if you're in unfamiliar territory. The rest is just a bad gimmick. I wonder how bad Whoop can be if it offers none of these things.

From the looks of things, MVDP's recovery time was about 12 seconds.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

Good to see MVP trying a monument that is out of his comfort zone (MSR, Flandres, Roubaix). It's the first time since 2020. Judging by his form he can get a good place in Liege (he was 6th in 2020 and I wouldn't put a podium place out of his reach, especially if he finishes from a small group) but with Pog around it will be very difficult for other guys to win it.

 

[tobydawq]

Cancellara: "Mathieu should do Liège after Ronde-Roubaix double"

Lol, this guy should get a mirror.

 

[DNP-Old]

Cancellara: "Mathieu should do Liège after Ronde-Roubaix double"

Lol, this guy should get a mirror.

Wonder if he regrets never doing it. Man was frigging of the charts in Mendrisio and Beijing.

 

[tobydawq]

Wonder if he regrets never doing it. Man was frigging of the charts in Mendrisio and Beijing.

He should. If Gerrans could win it...

 

[awavey]

I don't know if this was posted before , but I think he's the only one riding Paris Roubaix without gloves ? I can't believe his hands can handle that thrashing ?

He isn't by any stretch of it,and infact they always claim its worse with mitts, though its all about preparation and how you hold the bars ultimately

 

[awavey]

Not nearly as long of a race but Kopecky didn’t in the women’s race. I also recall noting at least one other guy in the top 10 on the men’s but not sure who.

Lizzie didn't when she won, her blood from the blisters became part of the post Roubaix look of the bike.

I was more interested this year that Zoe B didn't wear mitts, got some blisters but Elynor B did wear mitts and appeared to suffer much much worse, and I think Magnus always said in comms at least, don't wear gloves for it.

 

[Red Rick]

He should. If Gerrans could win it...

Cancellara outsprinting Valverde in Ans is on your bingo card?

Imo Cancellara actually never did that much outside the cobbles and TTs, and especially in hard hilly races there's only 2 races that stuck out, and Beijing and Mendrisio where IMO both considerably easier in the finale than Liege and he won neither despite a full focus on it.

In 2014, the year Gerrans won Liege, he was in blistering form and was one Kwiatkowski away from winning the WC.

 

[Sciatic]

He should. If Gerrans could win it...

Yeah, I always wished he would attempt it at least once at the close of one of his successful cobbled seasons. And there were editions of LBL during that span that were ridden laggardly enough to allow riders to hang on until Ans.

 

[tobydawq]

Cancellara outsprinting Valverde in Ans is on your bingo card?

Imo Cancellara actually never did that much outside the cobbles and TTs, and especially in hard hilly races there's only 2 races that stuck out, and Beijing and Mendrisio where IMO both considerably easier in the finale than Liege and he won neither despite a full focus on it.

In 2014, the year Gerrans won Liege, he was in blistering form and was one Kwiatkowski away from winning the WC.

Valverde didn't win Liège between 2009 and 2014. Cancellara repeatedly won Strade, and it's not like climbing skills are unimportant there. He could absolutely have been competitive in it and it was silly not to try.

And it's even more silly to now play the role as the wise old man who gives advice to younger riders that goes against what he would do himself (not to mention that he didn't take the time to check Mathieu's programme before writing his column).

 

[Red Rick]

And it's even more silly to now play the role as the wise old man who gives advice to younger riders who goes against what he would do himself (not to mention that he didn't take the time to check Mathieu's programme before writing his column).

Tbh that seems pretty on brand for Cancellara.

 

[Froome]

MvdP was also overconfident in 2023. He should have just followed Pog and not attacked at Kruisberg.

This year he has been more cirurgic in his attacks plus being even physically more stronger. That's why MVP is even more dangerous this year.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

only seeing Pogi so far this year I think there's literally no shot in LBL unless Pogi falls ill and all the other climbers wait around too much. For the win at least.

I can see him top 5/top 10 easily

 

[Blanco]

only seeing Pogi so far this year I think there's literally no shot in LBL unless Pogi falls ill and all the other climbers wait around too much. For the win at least.

I can see him top 5/top 10 easily

If Pogi falls ill, all the other climbers will wait till RaF to make a move, and of course they will not go straight from the bottom, Van Der Poel will ride tempo and catch them all on that descent and flat after, and win the sprint comfortably.

 

[SHAD0W93]

MVDP isn’t winning LBL this year but I can see him doing it in the future if he focuses on it like he does RVV and PR.

 

[senna6541]

Hopefully his form holds, and if so who knows. Will definitely be fun to see him outside his comfort zone though. I guess it's all about the Olympics at this point in terms of things that could really add to his palmares (road, MTB, or both?) Outside of him somehow beating Pogi at LBL - which seems like a longshot can't wait to watch him try.

 

[Axel Hangleck]

As good as he is, I can't see a way in which he beats Pogi.......No different to Pogi trying to beat MvdP in a CX race......

 

[Barkintheeye]

MVDP beating Pog at LBL (implied for the win)?

Should that happen it would (should) be the end of all discussions on who’s the better. It would definitely make for a real good show and a spectacular outcome but it seems quite unlikely. At MSR Pog’s performance couldn’t break the best riders and Van der Poel showed his massive power when bridging up before the crest of Poggio. At Strade Bianche Pog looked superb, slimmer and more focused for the upcoming GTs rather than prepped for all raw absolute power races like Paris-Roubaix. So despite Van der Poel’s performances at Ronde and Paris-Roubaix it just looks like the terrain of LBL will favor Pog’s physique. But who knows? Hopefully we will see both of them at their peaks at the start line and hopefully we will have a good show that might go down in history.

 

[Cassirer]

MVDP beating Pog at LBL (implied for the win)?

Should that happen it would (should) be the end of all discussions on who’s the better.

How's that? At best it would open the discussion, as right now I think with Pog being top 2 in GTs, stage races and classics it's kind of closed. Pog can mingle in mvdps territory (nearly all classics), but mvdp has no business in stage races. It would be absolutely astonishing could mvdp beat pog in LBL, but it would not be big enough of an outlier to put them on euqal grounds imo.

 

[Blanco]

How's that? At best it would open the discussion, as right now I think with Pog being top 2 in GTs, stage races and classics it's kind of closed. Pog can mingle in mvdps territory (nearly all classics), but mvdp has no business in stage races. It would be absolutely astonishing could mvdp beat pog in LBL, but it would not be big enough of an outlier to put them on euqal grounds imo.

Pogacar is no.2 in both classics and GT's, and naturally has a claim of being the best rider in the peloton. But so has the other two.