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

Page 312 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.
Jun 6, 2017
6,170
3,703
23,180
I mean...except:

Top results​

And now compare all this with 6 monuments + worlds. Can you see the difference?
 
Nov 5, 2013
5,299
5,078
23,180
Just got sligthly more smoked than Pogacar got in UAE tour stage 1. Even Aaron Gate and Lionel Taminiaux smoked Pogi. Very similar level of smokedness.
Pogacar wasn't supposed to win that stage...all they talked about during the coverage was how Mathieu was favored on today's stage. I guess they meant favored to get 20th place.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sandisfan
Nov 5, 2013
5,299
5,078
23,180
He finished before Ganna and Pidcock today, the others must then be even worse if we follow your logic of yesterday.
They were, but he still wasn't good enough to win. Ganna chased him down after he attacked up the hill, and Kooij smoked him. He put a clean set of wheels ahead of him. I was embarrassing how badly he got beaten. Must be humbling to him. He will never beat Tadej with form like that.
 
  • Wow
Reactions: jmdirt
Sep 12, 2022
8,186
9,697
17,180
They were, but he still wasn't good enough to win. Ganna chased him down after he attacked up the hill, and Kooij smoked him. He put a clean set of wheels ahead of him.
How weird that when someone tries to attack at 5km's from the finish loses the sprint against someone that sat in the wheel the whole day, and on top of that is by default the faster sprinter.
 
  • Like
Reactions: jmdirt
Jan 31, 2021
1,276
1,714
7,680
Both of them are, and should, be worse than Mathieu in this type of stage.
In the end, it was a sprint stage, just like everyone would have predicted at the beginning, even if it didn't quite play out to expectations. It was a hard sprint stage, to be sure, but one where you'd favor a true sprinter like Kooij.

Perhaps MVDP might be disappointed that he couldn't maintain a gap with his attack up the hill but that's a big ask.
 
  • Like
Reactions: jmdirt
Nov 5, 2013
5,299
5,078
23,180
How weird that when someone tries to attack at 5km's from the finish loses the sprint against someone that sat in the wheel the whole day, and on top of that is by default the faster sprinter.
I agree with you. He lost. If Tadej had attacked on that last hill, nobody would have caught him. If you think Mathieu is strong enough, with this form, to beat Tadej, we definitely disagree.
 
  • Like
Reactions: stonerider
Sep 12, 2022
8,186
9,697
17,180
I agree with you. He lost. If Tadej had attacked on that last hill, nobody would have caught him. If you think Mathieu is strong enough, with this form, to beat Tadej, we definitely disagree.
I'm 100% sure that he's good enough to beat Pogacar. You are basing your conclusions on the peloton finishing with 50, and whatever the position of MVDP is in that.
 
Jan 31, 2021
1,276
1,714
7,680
I agree with you. He lost. If Tadej had attacked on that last hill, nobody would have caught him. If you think Mathieu is strong enough, with this form, to beat Tadej, we definitely disagree.
At which race?

MVDP looks stronger in this year's Tirreno than last year.
 
  • Like
Reactions: jmdirt
Jan 31, 2021
1,276
1,714
7,680
With the way Tadej is riding, any race they are in together.
Perhaps Tadej will be even more extra-terrestrial than last year and you are right. Then, of course, no other riders have a chance either and we might as well not watch cycling in 2025.

Otherwise, I see MVDP's strength relative to the rest of the peloton as the same or better as the past few seasons, based on what we're accustomed to seeing in the very early season.
 
  • Like
Reactions: jmdirt
Nov 5, 2013
5,299
5,078
23,180
Perhaps Tadej will be even more extra-terrestrial than last year and you are right. Then, of course, no other riders have a chance either and we might as well not watch cycling in 2025.

Otherwise, I see MVDP's strength relative to the rest of the peloton as the same or better as the past few seasons, based on what we're accustomed to seeing in the very early season.
He crashed and still rode the fastest Strade ever. MVDP may be ahead of everyone else, but he won't be ahead of Tadej, if Tadej keeps riding like he did last Saturday.

And I will say that I think Pidcock might just be able to hold Mathieu's wheel when it matters.

Wout? As much as I hate to say it, I agree with others in that I think we have seen peak Wout, and he is on the downside.
 
Last edited:
Mar 20, 2022
13,280
18,029
22,180
Jul 9, 2009
7,871
1,279
20,680
Wout? As much as I hate to say it, I agree with others in that I think we have seen peak Wout, and he is on the downside.
Almost ever since his unfortunate brush with the fencing at 2019 Tour TT stage it seems like Wout is coming back from some kind of injury. That's got to take a toll on him.