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

[Hugo Koblet]

I don't think combining RVV+AGR+RB+LBL before the Giro is wise

Hmm, perhaps not but he hasn't done many races this season, and LBL should be a big and realistic goal for him. It's not like he has to burn himself out everyday of the Giro anyway.

 

[Bonimenier]

Maybe MVDP will leave the Giro after seven or ten days, so he could have a few days off the bike afterwards, and then start his TdF preparation…

He said he wants to finish both the Giro and the Tour, as he believes finishing a GT will be beneficial for him and he hasn't done it before.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Hmm, perhaps not but he hasn't done many races this season, and LBL should be a big and realistic goal for him. It's not like he has to burn himself out everyday of the Giro anyway.

He has a too small base for that. He basically got ready for Flanders but you could see in Roubaix already the best legs were far gone.
So he could ride in LBL but do absolutely nothing then. Wiser to have some rest, then another training camp + giro

 

[Valv.Piti]

Hmm, perhaps not but he hasn't done many races this season, and LBL should be a big and realistic goal for him. It's not like he has to burn himself out everyday of the Giro anyway.

Because he has looked completely dead lately, hes doing a GT double and Liege doesnt suit him well anyways. I think its a pretty obvious choice

 

[tobydawq]

Because he has looked completely dead lately, hes doing a GT double and Liege doesnt suit him well anyways. I think its a pretty obvious choice

"Completely dead", no less?

 

[Valv.Piti]

Yes, relatively speaking of course. VDP-standards. Rarely have we seen him so passive, not realling doing much at all, and thats not really his racing style. Hes visibly not at his best, so why would he ever ride Liege?

 

[Hugo Koblet]

Because he has looked completely dead lately, hes doing a GT double and Liege doesnt suit him well anyways. I think its a pretty obvious choice

He has won half the one day races he's done the last month, and finished in the top 10 in all of them. He might not be in peak shape, but he's certainly not "completely dead". And I think Liege suits him very well. He was 6th the one time he rode it - the day after he completed a 70 km solo. In peak shape he would be one of the top favorites.

Anyway, I had just imagined him prolonging his spring campaign with Fleche Wallone and Liege since he missed the first part of it, but he's probably not feeling great since he's not doing that.

 

[Billie]

The team thinks they rode with too little pressure in the tires in Roubaix. He felt quite good on the cobbles but had lots of trouble to produce power on the normal roads.

 

[senna6541]

Yes, relatively speaking of course. VDP-standards. Rarely have we seen him so passive, not realling doing much at all, and thats not really his racing style. Hes visibly not at his best, so why would he ever ride Liege?

I'd agree. Given his highly compressed prep, he had a helluva spring and got actual results with DVV and RVV wins. The guy literally didn't start riding the bike until early Feb. To collect another RVV was massive under the circumstances. He was clearly done at AG and PR. At full strength he absolutely dominates a PR where he literally had no bad luck and all the other real contenders (WVA for example did).

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

main goals this season are now stage win(s) in giro + tour and then the World champs.
He will not ride dutch championships.

 

[Jumbo Visma Fan :)]

main goals this season are now stage win(s) in giro + tour and then the World champs.
He will not ride dutch championships.

Sharing the Dutch jersey among other riders I see, Roosen last year now someone else this year.

 

[DaLong]

I am stoked he's riding the Giro and the Tour. After the Giro his form should be rock solid for later goals. Having said that, I wonder how much this is A-F wanting to get MvdP airtime. Hope they're not stretching him too far for media purposes.

 

[Axel Hangleck]

I originally thought the Roads World course was too hilly, but obviously not.

 

[Bolder]

He says "stupid" attacks may have cost him wins in the past. "May have"?

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

I originally thought the Roads World course was too hilly, but obviously not.

I doubt there are much races "too hilly" for VDP, considering he was 6th in LBL. Lombardia yeah, but that's not even a hilly race.

Although I will say. Even more for flat/cobbled races, VDP would need top form in especially very hilly races

 

[gavia88]

I originally thought the Roads World course was too hilly, but obviously not.

probably the next 3 world championships will have circuits that at least should give him a change (Glasgow and a copy of the Bergen circuit in Zurich). Only Rwanda in 4 years probably will be to difficult.

 

[Ricco']

Having said that, I wonder how much this is A-F wanting to get MvdP airtime. Hope they're not stretching him too far for media purposes.

If he has the goal of having a leader jersey in all GTs (which he should have given his skills), he won't have much better opportunities than this year as usually we have pancake flat sprint stages or short ITTs/TTTs to open the giro with hard hilly or MTF stages in the first stages. It's not usual to open with a puncheur sprint stage followed by a ITT which should give him some room to defend the jersey (or even win) with the short distance of the TT and the final climb.

With an italian major sponsor on board (which, I suspect, may only be giving name to the team until the end of this or next year, as I'm confident we will have a Alpecin - Deceuninck in the future) it makes sense.

 

[senna6541]

I doubt there are much races "too hilly" for VDP, considering he was 6th in LBL. Lombardia yeah, but that's not even a hilly race.

Although I will say. Even more for flat/cobbled races, VDP would need top form in especially very hilly races

With the form he had at the Tour de Swiss and then the TDF last year he could definitely win LBL. Recall the stage at Swiss where he made it over that last climb and then just pulverized everyone in the sprint. Stage 2 at the TDF speaks for itself - tracking down Quintana first, then Cobrelli , and then the "like he was shot out of cannon" stuff only MVDP can pull off. He was clearly on a mission that day.

 

[Velolover2]

I doubt there are much races "too hilly" for VDP, considering he was 6th in LBL. Lombardia yeah, but that's not even a hilly race.

Although I will say. Even more for flat/cobbled races, VDP would need top form in especially very hilly races

He can't survive 2-3 km murito-styled climbs. I'd give Wout a much better chance at those.

But I'm not sure if you count them as hills or mountains.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

He can't survive 2-3 km murito-styled climbs. I'd give Wout a much better chance at those.

But I'm not sure if you count them as hills or mountains.

I suggest rewatching Tirreno 2021 Murito stage where he solo'd for 50km.

A top form VDP can handle a lot more than you'd think. Except actual climbing

 

[Red Rick]

I suggest rewatching Tirreno 2021 Murito stage where he solo'd for 50km.

A top form VDP can handle a lot more than you'd think. Except actual climbing

I think the repetitions, cautious chase behind and dogshit weather helped him a lot in that stage.

In a more WCRR style race, where everyone waits for the final 2 laps, and a 2km 6 minute climb at over 10% where it's pretty pure W/kg testing MvdP doesn't have a chance in the world.

Van der Poel specifically skipped Imola cause it was too hard for him. That hill had 1km at 11%.

 

[tobydawq]

I think the repetitions, cautious chase behind and dogshit weather helped him a lot in that stage.

In a more WCRR style race, where everyone waits for the final 2 laps, and a 2km 6 minute climb at over 10% where it's pretty pure W/kg testing MvdP doesn't have a chance in the world.

Van der Poel specifically skipped Imola cause it was too hard for him. That hill had 1km at 11%.

And you don't think that was a wrong decision? This year they almost threw a possible MSR win out of the window because he "probably wouldn't be competitive anyway" and only started him because other riders on the team got sick.

If he can get 6th in Liège the day after riding 50+ kms solo in an epic effort to win the Binckbank Tour, he can probably win it with a more quiet few days before.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

And you don't think that was a wrong decision? This year they almost threw a possible MSR win out of the window because he "probably wouldn't be competitive anyway" and only started him because other riders on the team got sick.

If he can get 6th in Liège the day after riding 50+ kms solo in an epic effort to win the Binckbank Tour, he can probably win it with a more quiet few days before.

He could have been on the podium in Imola. But he wasn't going to follow Alaphilippe anymore than any of the others could. In retrospect, he might not care to finish 2nd or 3rd, so i could understand he himself might still not think that was a bad decision, but i think anyone else would agree he should have been there.

 

[Red Rick]

And you don't think that was a wrong decision? This year they almost threw a possible MSR win out of the window because he "probably wouldn't be competitive anyway" and only started him because other riders on the team got sick.

If he can get 6th in Liège the day after riding 50+ kms solo in an epic effort to win the Binckbank Tour, he can probably win it with a more quiet few days before.

Not really. I think he probably gets into the 2nd group after Alaphilippe and wins the sprint of that group for like 7th?

Depends on whether you think not getting that is a mistake or not.

 

[tobydawq]

Not really. I think he probably gets into the 2nd group after Alaphilippe and wins the sprint of that group for like 7th?

Depends on whether you think not getting that is a mistake or not.

Of course he should have been to the World Championships.