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

[Berflamand]

Coming into the lap course in Glasgow the Peloton is compact with a breakaway group some 4 minutes in advance. Immediately from there on the Danish team is drilling it hard to split the Peloton (+140K left).

At around 120K left Bettiol attacks and Pedersen follows which drives the whole Peloton and causes several splits. Pogacar is high up and closes the gap with help from some Belgians but not Remco that has been peeled off from the front group.

With 100K left Laporte has a material and is distanced despite help from Alaphilippe. Denmark is again up and drilling. The break has a one minute advantage. All the major favorites are in the top chase group.

Small attack from Remco at 98K left closed by Danes, Swiss and Italy immediately. Group back again with some 40 riders. At around 95-90K left Italy is trying to split the group but just setting up MVDP for an attack. Remco distanced. Then at 86K left Pog attacks and Trentin crashes. Attack is shut down by WVA and MVDP. Remco back in the tail. Group down less than 30 riders.

74K left Pedersen attacks hard, WVA, MVDP and Pog follows, and then MVDP counter attacks. WVA, Pedersen, Bettiol, Pog follows. Split becomes more than 15 secs. Cosnefroy - not remaining Belgians - make the group come back together once again.

62K left the hill, massive attack by Pog. Group stretched out with small gaps all over. Remco attacking with Pedersen on the wheel. Pog quickly closing the gap and then WVA counter attacking but is shut by MVDP. With 58K second attack from Remco but Pedersen, Powless et al follows. Group down to less than 20 riders. Punches delivered again and again. Third attack by Remco an only Pog follows closely but group back again.

55K Bettiol on real break. Rain has started. Less than 50K distance to Bettiol +25 secs, Benoot in lead of chasing group. 43K remaining Narvaez goes down in a corner and the group splits with Remco in the back. WVA drilling in the front. Split is clear, 34 sec up to Bettiol. Remco not contributing to chase. Pedersen, WVA, MVDP and Pog chasing Bettiol. Less than 30K Remco out in the back not being able to follow chasers.

22K brutal attack by MVDP, Bettiol caught. No one able to follow. WVA strongest among the chasers. History. MVDP win!

I'd say Remco had very little impact on last year's WC. Rather Pedersen, WVA, Bettiol and some other riders made the bigger impact.

I never said Remco had a big impact on last year's WC. It became clear quite early in the race that he wouldn't fight for the win but he still tried a few times.

Anyway, maybe I should have never even mentioned him because my point simply was that I think the race might be harder for Mathieu to control without Pog as a second top favourite because everybody will look at him and attack him and he (probably) can't react to everything.

I merely used last year's WC as an example where it was useful for him that Pogacar reacted to many attacks, some of them from Remco.

 

[Barkintheeye]

I never said Remco had a big impact on last year's WC. It became clear quite early in the race that he wouldn't fight for the win but he still tried a few times.

Anyway, maybe I should have never even mentioned him because my point simply was that I think the race might be harder for Mathieu to control without Pog as a second top favourite because everybody will look at him and attack him and he (probably) can't react to everything.

I merely used last year's WC as an example where it was useful for him that Pogacar reacted to many attacks, some of them from Remco.

It was worth a rewatch and interesting to see that so many riders and nations helped to keep speed up and close gaps. In Glasgow MVDP never suffered from not having a strong Dutch team supporting him. For that same reason Pog neither was at a disadvantage being all alone. If it plays out in a similar way in Paris team tactics will have little impact on the race outcome.

 

[tobydawq]

Gilbert variety is the single most overrated thing in cycling

Context?

 

[Ricco']

I agree I doubt the belgiums and others will wanne wait untill he attacks and rather deploy rider after rider before at least they should imo.

Well, to be fair, before every major competition the talk is all about the belgian team using their numbers to make the race and event after event we get them looking into each other to see who will be the first the put their face into the wind.

Maybe this time it will be different.

 

[senna6541]

Glasgow's route fitted him like a glove: loads of 90 degrees corners, short, sharp inclines, technical descents. Paris is way less of that. Although MvdP's track record on one day races is second to none, I think people are a bit overestimating his chances. Don't forget that prior to Glasgow, he also had WC's on routes that fitted him on paper where he couldn't make the difference (Leuven 2021 fi).

He was nowhere near 100% at the 2021 WC's. Back was still a major problem. That said, it wouldn't have been easy winning there at 100% and it won't be easy in Paris either - although I would imagine he's the betting favorite.

 

[senna6541]

Frustrating race to say the least. Could have used Pogi there or even Pederson not getting that flat. Race would have been blown up and Remco doesn't get a chance to do his stealth ***. Honestly, kind've weak that Wout is so willing to give up his chances for Remco. As for the MTB, great win for Piddy (great race even made a *** course seem decent enough), but sitting here watching 2019 World Cup replays and kind've a shame that MVDP has basically had to shelve the MTB.

 

[Rou]

MVDP has only 29 race days so far this season. I see no excuse for him to not go to the Vuelta.

 

[Coffeeplanter]

Frustrating race to say the least. Could have used Pogi there or even Pederson not getting that flat. Race would have been blown up and Remco doesn't get a chance to do his stealth ***. Honestly, kind've weak that Wout is so willing to give up his chances for Remco. As for the MTB, great win for Piddy (great race even made a *** course seem decent enough), but sitting here watching 2019 World Cup replays and kind've a shame that MVDP has basically had to shelve the MTB.

Excuse me?

 

[dazaau]

Frustrating race to say the least. Could have used Pogi there or even Pederson not getting that flat. Race would have been blown up and Remco doesn't get a chance to do his stealth ***. Honestly, kind've weak that Wout is so willing to give up his chances for Remco. As for the MTB, great win for Piddy (great race even made a *** course seem decent enough), but sitting here watching 2019 World Cup replays and kind've a shame that MVDP has basically had to shelve the MTB.

Remco was just better. Mvdp just didn't have that next level he brings to big races. Didn't even make the top 10 in the end.

Disappointing but it is what it is.

 

[MJR]

I think vdP's form was just fine this weekend. Winning the Big Ones requires smart racecraft and a bit of luck. He didn't seem to have either of those. It happens. Even the best can't win everything*.

* - funny Pogačar comment goes here

 

[dazaau]

I think vdP's form was just fine this weekend. Winning the Big Ones requires smart racecraft and a bit of luck. He didn't seem to have either of those. It happens. Even the best can't win everything*.

* - funny Pogačar comment goes here

Seemed to ride very smart to me. Did no work, and then went hard on a climb that suited him at the right point in the race. Got a good group, and that should have been it. But it got brought back, which is not the normal way when he goes. Then he was gassed when Remco went, as was everyone else, and then his team mate tried to close the gap, but only held it, and then mvdp tried one more time, but couldn't gap Wout and then slipped down the ranks.

Form was good, but not spring classics greatness.

 

[stonerider]

Form was good, but not spring classics greatness.

Yes, MvdP did not have his spring cycling fitness. If he did, he would have been able to bridge up to Remco without help. Kudos to Remco for his two Gold medals!

 

[Kaptain Kool]

Don't overthink it. We saw in Wallongong that mVdP loses his magic powers if he isn't able to ritually beat on teenage girls the night before. The cockroaches at the IOC probably have some rule against it, essentially handing the race to Remco on a platter.

 

[dazaau]

Don't overthink it. We saw in Wallongong that mVdP loses his magic powers if he isn't able to ritually beat on teenage girls the night before. The cockroaches at the IOC probably have some rule against it, essentially handing the race to Remco on a platter.

You should go look up the definition of slander before you one day learn about it the hard way.

 

[Axel Hangleck]

So, what is his next target? Vuelta? Is another GT really what he wants? Worlds would seem too hilly for him....

 

[dazaau]

So, what is his next target? Vuelta? Is another GT really what he wants? Worlds would seem too hilly for him....

Indeed. Slim pickings from here.

 

[ppanther92]

Remco doesn't get a chance to do his stealth ***.

Well, I like MvdP but lets be realistic - he was just by far weaker than Evenepoel. And thats quite disappointing if this was his big goal of the season. But his Tour was more awful then last year, so maybe he just really stretched the lowballing too much this year. He tried again, riding the whole Montmartre from the front the round after Evenepoel's attack. And he didn't gain a second. He also was not able to drop WvA on explosiveness, nor the rest of the group on a sustained effort. Otherwise, he still should have been able to give Bronze a shot. Simply not strong enough.

 

[Purito91]

If he could have focus only on evenepoel it

Well, I like MvdP but lets be realistic - he was just by far weaker than Evenepoel. And thats quite disappointing if this was his big goal of the season. But his Tour was more awful then last year, so maybe he just really stretched the lowballing too much this year. He tried again, riding the whole Montmartre from the front the round after Evenepoel's attack. And he didn't gain a second. He also was not able to drop WvA on explosiveness, nor the rest of the group on a sustained effort. Otherwise, he still should have been able to give Bronze a shot. Simply not strong enough.

If he could have focused only on evenepoel, the race would have been totally different. I dont think evenepoel was that much stronger. He even was dropped for a few kilometers after van der poel attacked.

 

[scribers]

MVP might be experiencing burnout. He’s raced at an extremely high level since this time last year with only brief down periods

 

[stonerider]

Presume he goes to Canada.

I doubt it. MvdP doesn't like leaving the European continent. Even when he was MTB riding, he skipped a chance to be world champion because the race was held in the USA. The year Pidcock won the CX World championship was the year it was held in the USA and again MvdP skipped the race.

 

[Peter von]

Hindsight is always 20-20, maybe Netherlands took too much initiative early on allowing the Belgiums to preserve Benoot and Stuyeven for too long while killing off their own doms.

Ultimately I think MVP just suffered a bad roll of the dice last Saturday and the race sailed out of his hands before he could put the hammer down and properly test if he was the strongest or even close to it.

 

[Axel Hangleck]

I doubt it. MvdP doesn't like leaving the European continent. Even when he was MTB riding, he skipped a chance to be world champion because the race was held in the USA. The year Pidcock won the CX World championship was the year it was held in the USA and again MvdP skipped the race.

He also skipped the final World Cup in Snowshoe, where he could have won the World Cup Overall. And after Harrogate, he decided against doing the Test event in Tokyo.......so he rode a minor road race.

He did two CX World Cups in the US in September 2017, which he won, but that is very much a rarity. His trips outside Europe have tended to end in disaster; Tokyo 2021, and Wollongong 2022.

 

[Ricco']

Even in Tokyo he decided to stay as long as possible in Europe, arriving there only a few days before the race and later than the other competitors.

 

[Ricco']

Going by his girlfriend Instagram, looks like he is on holidays (doing some waterskiing) so Vuelta maybe not likely.

 

[stonerider]

I fear MvdP will end up like Peter Sagan, in the later days of his career, if he keeps doing the races his sponsors want him to do. He needs the freedom to choose his own schedule to keep things fresh and interesting for him.