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

[canina82]

Hope you're right! I know 2 guys winning all the monuments every year sucks, but one guy doing it is much worse.

But MSR is probably the only monument where we can have a wildcard win.

 

[jono]

But MSR is probably the only monument where we can have a wildcard win.

We were inches away from that on Saturday.

 

[canina82]

We were inches away from that on Saturday.

Exactly. We were close to have another winner. In other monuments it's very hard to not see MVP pr Pogacar winning.

 

[Berniece]

Exactly. We were close to have another winner. In other monuments it's very hard to not see MVP pr Pogacar winning.

With how WVA was riding I expect him in Roubaix too

 

[Krzysztof_O]

With how WVA was riding I expect him in Roubaix too

Various things can happen in PR: if Wout has some luck on his side this time then maybe he'll finally win there.

 

[jono]

Various things can happen in PR: if Wout has some luck on his side this time then maybe he'll finally win there.

Depends if he's brave enough to fight at the front. He was one of the strongest riders over the whole 6+ hours last year but wasn't present in the most decisive moments of the race.

 

[Berniece]

Various things can happen in PR: if Wout has some luck on his side this time then maybe he'll finally win there.

I hope so. I'm a MVDP fan, but wouldn't mind a WVA win there. MVDP can take Flanders

 

[AmRacer]

I hope so. I'm a MVDP fan, but wouldn't mind a WVA win there. MVDP can take Flanders

Pogi will not lose both PR and RVV.

 

[Oldman]

Pogi will not lose both PR and RVV.

He has to survive and win PR. It's not his to "lose", IMO. It's also fraught with drama and he just came up aces in MSR under those circumstances. MvP, too. RVV is a surer thing for Tadej with a strong team.

 

[Extinction]

You have to consider Pog the favorite at Flanders and MvdP slightly better odds at Roubaix.

 

[AmRacer]

You have to consider Pog the favorite at Flanders and MvdP slightly better odds at Roubaix.

MvdP had slightly better odds at MSR too.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

MvdP had slightly better odds at MSR too.

And they both had better odds than Jordan Labrosse.

I think we all know that odds are a prediction, not a determining factor, and that favourites don't always win.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

You have to consider Pog the favorite at Flanders and MvdP slightly better odds at Roubaix.

Makes sense. MVP is still #1 favourite in PR (until proven otherwise). His cobbles pedigree (strength + skill) coupled with a superior sprint is hard to topple. But in this race a lot can happen: someone else than Mattieu/Tadej (i.e. Wout or Mads) can win with some luck on his side.

 

[Extinction]

Makes sense. MVP is still #1 favourite in PR (until proven otherwise). His cobbles pedigree (strength + skill) coupled with a superior sprint is hard to topple. But in this race a lot can happen: someone else than Mattieu/Tadej (i.e. Wout or Mads) can win with some luck on his side.

Sure, in Roubaix the strongest rider doesn't always win, sometimes the luckiest does.

 

[vappa]

Sure, in Roubaix the strongest rider doesn't always win, sometines the luckiest does.

That was mostly before the wide tires when they rode on the skinny ones, then it was considered at least 1 mechanical per rider. Now you have to be kind of unlucky, unless you're Laporte, then at least 2 flats and a broken wheel

 

[jono]

Is there any good video of MVDP's crash at MSR? It seems like he dinged up his hand pretty good: https://www.cyclingnews.com/pro-cyc...-handlebars-after-milan-san-remo-hand-injury/

I don't imagine he would race at E3 and Gent-Wevelgem if he was worried about the hand for RVV and PR, but he'd have to have come down fairly hard to do the damage suggested in the article.

Or maybe he's just sandbagging his chances in the media leading into big races like Wout and Mathieu always liked to do prior to CX duels.

 

[Oldman]

Sure, in Roubaix the strongest rider doesn't always win, sometines the luckiest does.

or: the luckiest of the strongest riders.

 

[Extinction]

or: the luckiest of the strongest riders.

Well, that's a given.

 

[Extinction]

That was mostly before the wide tires when they rode on the skinny ones, then it was considered at least 1 mechanical per rider. Now you have to be kind of unlucky, unless you're Laporte, then at least 2 flats and a broken wheel

Wide tires though don't prevent crashes.

 

[HashRouge]

Is there any good video of MVDP's crash at MSR? It seems like he dinged up his hand pretty good: https://www.cyclingnews.com/pro-cyc...-handlebars-after-milan-san-remo-hand-injury/

I don't imagine he would race at E3 and Gent-Wevelgem if he was worried about the hand for RVV and PR, but he'd have to have come down fairly hard to do the damage suggested in the article.

Or maybe he's just sandbagging his chances in the media leading into big races like Wout and Mathieu always liked to do prior to CX duels.

I think he said that his hand got caught on another rider's bike?

 

[Didinho]

He always need a harder race to get that last percent for next week, but don’t think he expected it to be like this.

Now recover and stay healthy. And do something better tactically in the Ronde.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Just a reminder that we have never seen Pogačar solo from 60k+ out in Flanders terrain, harder terrain for sure it‘s a loss in the Pogačar competition to win like that, but it‘s just physics that you have a hard time solo against larger groups when the others aren‘t dead when you go solo

 

[Devil's Elbow]

There are three possibilities. Either his crash is hindering him more than he's letting on, he's somehow screwed up his preparation, or this past week is the first sign of decline. And the latter would not be that strange even at 31, given how young he was when he hit the big time in CX.

 

[jono]

He always need a harder race to get that last percent for next week, but don’t think he expected it to be like this.

Now recover and stay healthy. And do something better tactically in the Ronde.

Ronde tactics should be extremely simple: watch one rider.

 

[jono]

There are three possibilities. Either his crash is hindering him more than he's letting on, he's somehow screwed up his preparation, or this past week is the first sign of decline. And the latter would not be that strange even at 31, given how young he was when he hit the big time in CX.

I don't see today as a poor performance at all.