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

[proffate]

A gt in the legs is pretty good prep for Olympic or world

Tbh I don't think his legs need that much training stimulus. But his sponsors would appreciate it.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

The last time I saw Pogacar try sprint against MVDP in a long race, he managed to come 4th in a 2 man sprint.

Yeah, that was Teddy's most legendary performance: both on and off the bike (Van Baarle agrees).

 

[Lequack]

Training ride in Spain

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQmsCxex5uE

 

[scribers]

I made it through about 5 minutes

 

[kingjr]

I made it through about 5 minutes

You could have made it to 10 had you set the playback speed to 2x

 

[Didinho]

No stage race.

Sanremo
E3
Wevelgem
Ronde
Roubaix
Amstel
Luik (TBD)

If he got his training right like before this CX season than I’m optimistic. Everybody wants to be fresh this year it seems. With the Olympics in mind maybe.

Also less chances to get sick in a stage race and only traveling once to Italy.

 

[Netserk]

Nice. I hope he won't be too exhausted by Liège.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

i guess thats why agr is on there, a good tester for liege

if he is crap in amstel there is no reason to go to Liege

 

[Ilmaestro99]

Really nice programme, all the big races, no wasted race days. Hopefully we see him at Liege, but I don't expect him to be competitive there if he is already strong at Ronde Vlaanderen. Happy he does Sanremo.

In an ideal world I would like to see him at Strade as well, but after such a long CX season at top form, he will need a proper rest and then a really big block of road training which makes anything before Sanremo too early.

 

[KZD]

Surprised to see Van der Poel starting his season in Sanremo but at least he rides it unlike Van Aert. Still, it probably increases the chance of him being a bit less strong.

Interesting to see what he can do in Gent Wevelgem as I think its his debut in the race but Flanders should be the main goal of his spring as he can equal the record there.

Amstel will probably be a test for Liège indeed but could also give us a really nice battle with Remco. Still hope he rides LBL though, won't have many more chances of adding a 4th different monument to his palmares.

 

[Berniece]

Still hope he rides LBL though, won't have many more chances of adding a 4th different monument to his palmares.

He started his road career quite late, I can definitely see him easily ride another 4 seasons at the current level.

 

[Sciatic]

Surprised to see Van der Poel starting his season in Sanremo but at least he rides it unlike Van Aert. Still, it probably increases the chance of him being a bit less strong.

Interesting to see what he can do in Gent Wevelgem as I think its his debut in the race but Flanders should be the main goal of his spring as he can equal the record there.

Amstel will probably be a test for Liège indeed but could also give us a really nice battle with Remco. Still hope he rides LBL though, won't have many more chances of adding a 4th different monument to his palmares.

I guess I don’t see how riding San Remo would result in him being less strong, since he’s skipping the stage races. And he doesn’t have to be at absolute peak to be in the mix at SR, since if it comes to a select grp sprint he’ll have a good shot? Just conjecture

 

[KZD]

I guess I don’t see how riding San Remo would result in him being less strong, since he’s skipping the stage races. And he doesn’t have to be at absolute peak to be in the mix at SR, since if it comes to a select grp sprint he’ll have a good shot? Just conjecture

To clarify, my comment about Van der Poel being less strong was just about Sanremo itself not for the rest of the classics season. He can still win the race without being in his absolute peak as you said but it should increase the chances of other riders a bit.

Philip Roodhooft also said that the decision of riding mountainbike or not will be taken later.

 

[proffate]

I'm no trainer but it seems to me that it's possible to be at or near top anaerobic form while still lacking something in the aerobic and/or resistance (lately called "durability" by anglos who think they've invented a new concept).

So he could show up at MSR in peakish MSR form, while still building towards peak form for the harder classics.

 

[Blanco]

I would prefer him to ride Tirreno first, to get some road racing feeling in his legs, but nevermind. He has done San Remo as a first race 2 years ago, and came 3rd, so that means he can of course contend for the win there. From there, program is fine, and I really hope he will do Liege.

 

[Sciatic]

To clarify, my comment about Van der Poel being less strong was just about Sanremo itself not for the rest of the classics season. He can still win the race without being in his absolute peak as you said but it should increase the chances of other riders a bit.

Philip Roodhooft also said that the decision of riding mountainbike or not will be taken later.

Ah, ok thanks—that makes sense,

 

[Ricco']

Interesting to see what he can do in Gent Wevelgem as I think its his debut in the race

4th in 2019 and also did it in 2020, when he and WVA kept marking each other in the final and let all the other elements of the final group get away in the last kilometers.

 

[Kwaremonster]

He started his road career quite late, I can definitely see him easily ride another 4 seasons at the current level.

I like your optimism (or pessimism if you are not a fan) and maybe you are right. It's something I find fascinating either way: what does the late entry in road cycling on the highest level mean for his durability.

 

[Kwaremonster]

Interesting program. As a conservative armchair pro cyclist I would probably keep exactly the same program as last year, as he managed to be in top shape in the important moments so well. However they have ofcourse taken into account that the season will be different with the Olympics and opted for less racedays early on, plus that they probably needed to mix it up a little bit to keep it interesting.

I wonder if they added amstel so he can show his rainbow jersey in the Netherlands (outside of crits and cyclo-cross). But he doesn't seem a person for sentimentality.

My biggest worry is that he won't be as good in San remo without prior racing, butI guess we will find out.

 

[Didinho]

Interesting program. As a conservative armchair pro cyclist I would probably keep exactly the same program as last year, as he managed to be in top shape in the important moments so well. However they have ofcourse taken into account that the season will be different with the Olympics and opted for less racedays early on, plus that they probably needed to mix it up a little bit to keep it interesting.

I wonder if they added amstel so he can show his rainbow jersey in the Netherlands (outside of crits and cyclo-cross). But he doesn't seem a person for sentimentality.

My biggest worry is that he won't be as good in San remo without prior racing, butI guess we will find out.

It's because he wants to stay in form untill Liege, so starting later. That's the simple reason said by Roodhooft.
He has a good base form from the CX season and he did well before with a start in Sanremo. But I always seen him better with a hard couple of days before in a stage race.

It's also my opinion to do the same as last year because he won almost everything he wanted, but he said he was better in the Worlds race than in the classics. So I hope he can get to that form with fresher legs and doesn't regret doing no stage race before. I'm glad he will try in Liege again. He was already close in 2020, with a bad preperation the day before and not following Mohoric to the front. He's also stronger, but you got Pogi and Remco now.

 

[stonerider]

I've said before that I thought stage racing weakened MvdP instead of helped him if he raced it hard. I believe MvdP and his team have realized that as well. He probably prefers to do his base training on his own schedule and in nicer weather than they find some years in Tirreno. I'm all for less days racing if it keeps him fresh and strong for his one day races.

 

[Berniece]

I've said before that I thought stage racing weakened MvdP instead of helped him if he raced it hard. I believe MvdP and his team have realized that as well. He probably prefers to do his base training on his own schedule and in nicer weather than they find some years in Tirreno. I'm all for less days racing if it keeps him fresh and strong for his one day races.

He was at his best ever after TDF though

 

[stonerider]

He was at his best ever after TDF though

Yes it was good weather base training for him. He didn't even win, or try to win, a stage.

 

[LookProGoSlow]

I can hear those turbos spooling up all the way from Spain

 

[Peyroteo94]

Don't get me wrong but I'm very disappointed with him. Seriously, he is one of the best classicomanos cycling has ever seen and he is giving monuments to his teammate? He had everything to win today and don't like this lack of champion mentality.