• 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 129 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.

His name didn't catch my attention when I checked through the startlist but yeah, he can also be close. But I don't think he has the kick to go past a typical VDP acceleration on a shallow climb and I don't see him hang out in the group if VDP is dropped.

Don't know why but I had the impression the climb was harder at the bottom and shallower at the end, but it's the opposite. From the street view pics I looked at it looks very shallow and in wide roads, so I don't see much potential to be anything other than a fast drag to the finish. It reminds me of the Montecassino stage from 2014 but with a climb half as long in the end.*

*was trying to read how that stage was run in the finish to see if my memory was right and Cyclingnews really also puts a paywall on stage articles from 8 years ago? Ridiculous...
 
Could be, but I don't buy into GTs being that much of a growth thing that much.

I do hope he just picks his stages and doesn't go balls to the wall every stage. Try to win a stage in both.

I'd love to see the scientific proof of this; I get the impression it's another cycling 'old wives tale' that is never challenged, and is just accepted as fact.
He should pick a stage or two, and treat the rest as a training camp, to build up a base.
 
I'd love to see the scientific proof of this; I get the impression it's another cycling 'old wives tale' that is never challenged, and is just accepted as fact.
He should pick a stage or two, and treat the rest as a training camp, to build up a base.
I think the “grand tour effect” is mostly applicable to young riders coming onto the professional scene. For seasoned pros like Van der Poel and Van Aert, who have been riding intense schedules of CX and spring classics for years before entering their first GT, I think the effect is minimal if anything.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sandisfan
I think MvdP is looking for anything to help him get back to his dominate self...the 2019 edition. He looks around and suddenly he's not the dominant rider he once was compared to Wout and Pog. He has stagnated in strength while others have increased. I doubt he's got anymore power than he had in 2019, but at age 27 now he should be stronger. He's hoping riding a grand tour or two will give him another percentage of growth.
 
I think MvdP is looking for anything to help him get back to his dominate self...the 2019 edition. He looks around and suddenly he's not the dominant rider he once was compared to Wout and Pog. He has stagnated in strength while others have increased. I doubt he's got anymore power than he had in 2019, but at age 27 now he should be stronger. He's hoping riding a grand tour or two will give him another percentage of growth.
Has he ever been stronger than last years Strade Bianche?
 
  • Like
Reactions: senna6541
Has he ever been stronger than last years Strade Bianche?
RVV 2022 was on par with SB 2021. Only difference is Pogacar in SB 2021 wasn't as strong as Pogacar was in RVV 2022

Aside from that I don't think he got much reason to complain. His numbers were far better than 2019.
On the basis of a 1,5 month preparation he got 3rd in MSR, won RVV and Dwars, got 4th in Amstel and 9th in Roubaix. Hardly something to sneeze at.

I'd still like to see a properly prepared VDP for the spring classics without CX or a hampered prep though.
 
RVV 2022 was on par with SB 2021. Only difference is Pogacar in SB 2021 wasn't as strong as Pogacar was in RVV 2022

Aside from that I don't think he got much reason to complain. His numbers were far better than 2019.
On the basis of a 1,5 month preparation he got 3rd in MSR, won RVV and Dwars, got 4th in Amstel and 9th in Roubaix. Hardly something to sneeze at.

I'd still like to see a properly prepared VDP for the spring classics without CX or a hampered prep though.
I agree...he should do like Wout and just pick a few CX races while ensuring he gets in plenty of base building rides this winter and also does his core work.
Good Lord Stonerider, let go of the core work thing with MVDP. Did you watch the guy get back on Pogi's wheel on the Paterberg? Think he could have done that with a weak core? A strong core also comes in handy in CX and MTB. You do know his H2H record vs. Wout in CX is something like 110-50, right? He's also won a handful of Elite UCI MTB races, no?
 

TRENDING THREADS