• The Cycling News forum is looking to add some volunteer moderators with Red Rick's recent retirement. If you're interested in helping keep our discussions on track, send a direct message to @SHaines here on the forum, or use the Contact Us form to message the Community Team.

    In the meanwhile, please use the Report option if you see a post that doesn't fit within the forum rules.

    Thanks!

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

Page 58 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.
Good thing if he doesn't move away, but I find parents who talk like that about their children annoying, famous or not. (Okay, I admit, I even sometimes do that myself. Well, I'm annoyed with my habit.)

It would be annoying for sure if his father wasn't Adrie VdP and his grandfather Raymond Poulidor. I think "us" is perfectly fine here.

Adrie's full name is Adrianus Aloysius Jacobus -- very cool. Also, he and Mathieu look exactly the same as very young men, although Mathieu has a bit of Poulidor's mouth.

I'm basically fascinated by MVdP. I can't imagine what it's like to have those guys as your forefathers, and then to be just as good or even better in the same discipline. I'd like to know what goes on in his head, although he seems like a pretty stoic guy. No Dumoulin, that's for sure.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sandisfan
I'm basically fascinated by MVdP. I can't imagine what it's like to have those guys as your forefathers, and then to be just as good or even better in the same discipline. I'd like to know what goes on in his head, although he seems like a pretty stoic guy. No Dumoulin, that's for sure.

It seems he has a very healthy mind, in the sense we don't see the same mental attitude of 100% focus about being a pro cyclist all the time like other riders and that's very healthy so that the sport doesn't end up consuming his mind.

The guy goes on his mtb, takes up some time to ride motocross (which is common in Downhill and even XC but I can't think many other road riders who would take risks with motorcycle stunts), play videogames, etc.
 
Sorry if this was already discussed here or elsewhere, but why dose he (team) have to change bikes? Is the cockpit so integrated that a different cockpit can't be used with the bike?
correct

headset-internals.png
 
Jesus Christ. What a ride. Forced the final selection with a monster attack, pulled in front way more than he probably should have, and finished it off the way he did.

What else can be said? He honestly surprised me, and I think many other people today. Boy wonder can do it all.
 
The question is if Mathieu hasn't peaked too early as the most important races are still ahead (Flanders, Roubaix). WVA's and JA's shape is probably gonna improve from race to race, cause today they both definitely weren't at their best while MVDP seems to be at the top since cross WC.

I hope that he'll be able to keep the dynamite in his legs throughout the whole spring because seeing this guy winning races the way he did it today is a huge pleasure.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DaLong
This guy is insane. That acceleration on Le Tolfe...my god, I think I've never seen anything like that. Only similar thing I can think of is Sagan's attack on Poggio, but then again, the type of race is completely different. The attrition during both races is not comparable. Amazing win!
 
if anybody thinks something about "lesser form" Alaphil like @Logic-is-your-friend

let this sink in:
Alaph was 5s faster than his win here in 2019 on the final climb
VDP was 10s faster than Fugl/Alaph in 2019..
This proves nothing. In 2019 they were waiting in the wheels of van Aert who was dead, and they did not attack until the last part. Today Bernal was setting the pace before the attack.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sandisfan
How does this prove nothing? @Logic-is-your-friend you see the difference right?

Alaphil / Fuglsang were top in 2019, you can't deny that.
Alaphil this year was faster.

VDP's acceleration / climb is way faster than 2019, even if you just look at the moment Fuglsang accelerated.

If Alaphil is not top, then his top is frickin scary because he is faster than 2019 where he definitely was top in March...
 
How does this prove nothing? @Logic-is-your-friend you see the difference right?

Alaphil / Fuglsang were top in 2019, you can't deny that.
Alaphil this year was faster.

VDP's acceleration / climb is way faster than 2019, even if you just look at the moment Fuglsang accelerated.

If Alaphil is not top, then his top is frickin scary because he is faster than 2019 where he definitely was top in March...
Read what i wrote. It proves nothing. And my point was that Alaphilippe is not at the same level he was in 2019, not that van der Poel is or isn't as good as Alaphilippe in 2019.
 
Anyway, comparing times on such a short ascent and also when the race has different scenarios every year and riders never really ride up this one full gas from the very bottom, is really usless imho.
In today's edition, times were fast because MVDP rode it quite hard just from the beginning and also attacked quite early on the climb. But it doesn't mean at all that this was 100% better performance than 2019 Alaphilippe.
 
Anyway, comparing times on such a short ascent and also when the race has different scenarios every year and riders never really ride up this one full gas from the very bottom, is really usless imho.
In today's edition, times were fast because MVDP rode it quite hard just from the beginning and also attacked quite early on the climb. But it doesn't mean at all that this was 100% better performance than 2019 Alaphilippe.
It's quite possible it was a better performance by MvdP than Alaf in 2019, i was never saying it wasn't, i was simply saying that to me it was clear that Alaphilippe wasn't on the same level he was in 2019. Overall climbing time being faster now is no proof that he was.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sandisfan

TRENDING THREADS