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

[Ilmaestro99]

Worst rider of all time

 

[canina82]

What is the excuse this year? I have been reading he only lost last year due to illness.

 

[Red Rick]

What is the excuse this year? I have been reading he only lost last year due to illness.

He was ill again this year.

Congenital brain issue

 

[jono]

What is the excuse this year? I have been reading he only lost last year due to illness.

He was better than last year.

 

[canina82]

He was better than last year.

He looked better last year until the last Kwaremont. Pogacar smelled blood on the Koppenberg, even allowed MVP to put a fake pace on Boonenberg.

 

[jono]

He looked better last year until the last Kwaremont. Pogacar smelled blood on the Koppenberg, even allowed MVP to put a fake pace on Boonenberg.

MVDP cracked way harder on Kwaremont last year. Wout even caught him.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Worst rider of all time

The entire top 3 isn't exactly known for riding smart .

 

[canina82]

MVDP cracked way harder on Kwaremont last year. Wout even caught him.

Yeah,this is also true. But this year I got the impression Pogacar could have dropped him wherever he wanted.

 

[Brullnux]

What is the excuse this year? I have been reading he only lost last year due to illness.

Make up a guy.

Pogacar fans have gotten to the point of inventing rivalries as everyone else knows there's no tension anymore. Pogacar is miles ahead of everyone else and it's sucking the life out the sport.

 

[AmRacer]

Make up a guy.

Pogacar fans have gotten to the point of inventing rivalries as everyone else knows there's no tension anymore. Pogacar is miles ahead of everyone else and it's sucking the life out the sport.

Mathieu CX
Remco ITT

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Worst rider of all time

I can't believe for a moment that you post that with any sense of meaning it. How many of these, even with today's "advantages", would have done better than him today?

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

He was ill again this year.

Congenital brain issue

I really don't get the presumed humour of being grotesquely rude about the best exponents of the sport we follow.

 

[Red Rick]

I really don't get the presumed humour of being grotesquely rude about the best exponents of the sport we follow.

Well if they're supposed to be the greatest in the sport I think we could at least expect them to learn from the pretty basic tactical mistakes they keep making.

Instead Van der Poel repeats it every time and then just goes "oh well the best rider won."

If Van der Poel rides around like this he's a net negative on cycling outside of possibly Paris-Roubaix.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Well if they're supposed to be the greatest in the sport I think we could at least expect them to learn from the pretty basic tactical mistakes they keep making.

Instead Van der Poel repeats it every time and then just goes "oh well the best rider won."

If Van der Poel rides around like this he's a net negative on cycling outside of possibly Paris-Roubaix.

Do you think any different course of action would have got him the win today?
If he wasn't going to be able to win, then why is securing himself second not the honourable, professional thing to do?

 

[vappa]

He was better than last year.

I don't think so, if he pulls as much and as hard as he did just year, he sprints with Remco for 2nd, 2 minutes down

 

[Brullnux]

Do you think any different course of action would have got him the win today?

I think he could've/should've tried harder to get Remco back on his wheel pre-Taaienberg (even just getting on the front to stop Pogacar going ham on the Mariaborrestraat if needed). That said, Pogacar would have then just dropped them both after on the climb, but a 2 v 1 would have put him in a better position than the 1v1 he had.

Realistically, 1 v 1 on this course he never beats Pogacar. So he needs to try and make sure he's not 1 v 1. I don't really buy the idea that he pulled a lot today, or at least I think he didn't pull hard, but he also didn't seem to actively want Evenepoel back with him – which was a mistake.

 

[saunaking]

Do you think any different course of action would have got him the win today?
If he wasn't going to be able to win, then why is securing himself second not the honourable, professional thing to do?

maybe, maybe not?
But a different course of action would be a higher probability to win.

What would happen if 3 were together and Remco and MVDP refuse to ride with pog still 10+ km from the last Kwaremont?

 

[canina82]

maybe, maybe not?
But a different course of action would be a higher probability to win.

What would happen if 3 were together and Remco and MVDP refuse to ride with pog still 10+ km from the last Kwaremont?

Remco would ride away and MVP would lose the race.

 

[saunaking]

Remco would ride away and MVP would lose the race.

at least in such a scenario mvdp could possibly wrap his head around just letting Pog work and follow and see what happens

 

[canina82]

at least in such a scenario mvdp could possibly wrap his head around just letting Pog work and follow and see what happens

Pogacar would definitely not drag MVP all the way.

 

[Netserk]

Big pressure to win PR. If he doesn't, his season is a disaster.

agreed , but it seems like he thinks losing to pogi makes his spring good

 

[Netserk]

He rode a very strong race, no shame in being second to Tadej.

In a world where Pogacar stayed in one lane and just did the modern traditional mix of grand tour racing and a few hilly classics we would now be saluting MVDP winning 5 RVV in a row.

the result isnt shameful

the process was

 

[Krzysztof_O]

agreed , but it seems like he thinks losing to pogi makes his spring good

No climbs means Teddy cant change PR into w/kg battle. Superior sprint on the velodrome can save Mattieu's spring.

 

[Netserk]

The entire top 3 isn't exactly known for riding smart .

i think pogi actually rides very well , its just that with his legs the smart thing to do would be stupid for any other rider

 

[Mayomaniac]

i think pogi actually rides very well , its just that with his legs the smart thing to do would be stupid for any other rider

And we've seen what happens when someone matches his strength...