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

[Slavique Nuke]

Maybe he gets a commission on Jasper's new contract?

 

[Red Rick]

If Philipsen was Dutch and MvdP Belgian I'm pretty sure we'd be on the way to war with Flanders.

 

[Didinho]

If he was as good as last year he would’ve taken over in the descent. He needed a moment to recover after the jump and the others were not far behind.
He would’ve liked to go with Pogi alone, think he missed some freshness/race toughness.

 

[dazaau]

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.

Yeah, bit hard to watch. Having said that, it was probably the smart thing. No one was going to drag him to the sprint or close the gaps with pidders and mohoric most likely, and after closing them himself he would be cooked. So doing it for Jasper makes sense.

But he has the potential the be one of the greatest, so it's hard to see him give up a chance of a monument for his team mate.

If you ask me, without the mullet he was a shoe in

 

[Samu Cuenca]

If he was as good as last year he would’ve taken over in the descent. He needed a moment to recover after the jump and the others were not far behind.
He would’ve liked to go with Pogi alone, think he missed some freshness/race toughness.

His problem was that he wasn't on Pogi's wheel straight away the second time. Then he wouldn't have had to dig as deep to close the gap.

 

[Kwaremonster]

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.

Kind of agree, unless he was gassed when coming over the poggio, but if he could have ridden away from or with pogacar and he gambled on philipsen from there, that would just be incomprehensible.

 

[kingjr]

Kind of agree, unless he was gassed when coming over the poggio, but if he could have ridden away from or with pogacar and he gambled on philipsen from there, that would just be incomprehensible.

I think he was very much preoccupied with catching his breath once he caught up with Pogacar.

 

[Didinho]

Kind of agree, unless he was gassed when coming over the poggio, but if he could have ridden away from or with pogacar and he gambled on philipsen from there, that would just be incomprehensible.

He said he had to dig deep to close the last attack (didn’t expect someone to get a gap at that last part) and would’ve loved to go with Pogi alone. Didn’t knew where Philipsen was, asked if he was dropped or with the group.

 

[Kwaremonster]

Think so too. Then it was just losing the wheel to pogi before his final attack that cost him the race, and he switched fast to being a domestique for philipsen.

 

[Kwaremonster]

He said he had to dig deep to close the last attack (didn’t expect someone to get a gap at that last part) and would’ve loved to go with Pogi alone. Didn’t knew where Philipsen was, asked if he was dropped or with the group.

I yeah saw that now. I can live with that explanation, he would have won if he played it better, but you cannot always make all the right choices I think..

 

[Red Rick]

He said he had to dig deep to close the last attack (didn’t expect someone to get a gap at that last part) and would’ve loved to go with Pogi alone. Didn’t knew where Philipsen was, asked if he was dropped or with the group.

He was alone with Pog, he didn't help. That makes 0 sense if he didn't know Philipsen was behind.

 

[Didinho]

He was alone with Pog, he didn't help. That makes 0 sense if he didn't know Philipsen was behind.

Yes I know but I think maybe he couldn’t. Or wanted to let Pogi do the work. I was screaming he had to take over to get away with 2.

 

[Slavique Nuke]

Really selfless guy.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1769033161181176146

View: https://twitter.com/faustocoppi60/status/1769033161181176146


The way he closed the gap after Pogacar's second attack was amazing. He was probably the strongest rider today.

 

[Keldergoat]

A WC and multiple monument winner working his ass off for a teammate while he could have won himself as well seems extremely humble,selfless and altruistic to me. Can't see anything negative about that, it shows his greatness in a different way. Apart from that, seeing how good he already was Today I think he will be in fine shape in Flanders and Roubaix.

If you have to be critical he makes one tactical error it is not countering Pogacar first attack. He was still looking sharp at that moment and only Ganna and Bettiol were still in the wheels.

 

[saunaking]

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.

Are you crazy? He wasn't strong enough today. Even his 'leadout' for Philipsen was pretty weak and not what won the race.

 

[Red Rick]

Are you crazy? He wasn't strong enough today. Even his 'leadout' for Philipsen was pretty weak and not what won the race.

He pulled back multiple attacks.

I really think he felt dead but didn't realise they almost all were.

 

[Froome]

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.

He is humble and kind.

 

[Kwaremonster]

I think he played it right after a tactical error on the poggio. I feel like it's what boonen would do in his best days. From a group with 10 this was the best chance for a Alpecin victory and in Philipsen he has a very grateful teammate who might return the favour in another race (maybe Paris Roubaix again).

 

[Peyroteo94]

He is humble and kind.

This is why I miss Armstrong.

 

[LookProGoSlow]

Not bad for first road race of the season. He is aiming for a peak at RVV. Still a bit of time left to hone the form, but his base is really good already, considering what he showed today. Didn't win but that was difficult anyway with the quality of the field coming into the line. Did the right thing to set up Jasper for the sprint by closing everything down prior.

 

[Netserk]

He said he had to dig deep to close the last attack (didn’t expect someone to get a gap at that last part) and would’ve loved to go with Pogi alone. Didn’t knew where Philipsen was, asked if he was dropped or with the group.

Another good argument for the ban of team radios.

 

[Didinho]

Another good argument for the ban of team radios.

I’m all for no-radio. But he asked it after the race, when they were interviewing him. Wanted to know if he was with the others or came back after being dropped.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

He pulled back multiple attacks.

I really think he felt dead but didn't realise they almost all were.

doesnt seem like that in the interview

,,Ik voelde dat ik de benen had om iedereen terug te halen. Na de Poggio, beneden, zag ik dat Jasper er bij zat en wist ik dat ik voor hem zou rijden. Jasper had al gezegd dat hij goede benen had voor de Poggio. Dan is het niet een hele moeilijke beslissing. Ik had vorig jaar veel aan Jasper te danken in Parijs-Roubaix, dat zal ik niet snel vergeten.’’

"I felt i had the legs to pull everyone back".

Also:

,,Ik had ook nog wel de benen om te sprinten. Maar als Jasper zegt dat hij echt super is, geloof ik hem en is het aan mij om te rijden.

"I still had the legs to ride for a sprint. But if Jasper says he is really super than I believe him and it was up to me to ride for him"

Every part of the interviews I read on AD seems to point to the opposite. He was only a bit tired at the top of the Poggio because he had to close the gap to Pogacar. Although this to me was more to positioning than anything else.

It's his first race day, he was maybe 98% instead of 100% but still good enough to win. But he chose to ride for Philipsen which was likely the more safe option with Jasper saying he is good.

 

[Red Rick]

doesnt seem like that in the interview

,,Ik voelde dat ik de benen had om iedereen terug te halen. Na de Poggio, beneden, zag ik dat Jasper er bij zat en wist ik dat ik voor hem zou rijden. Jasper had al gezegd dat hij goede benen had voor de Poggio. Dan is het niet een hele moeilijke beslissing. Ik had vorig jaar veel aan Jasper te danken in Parijs-Roubaix, dat zal ik niet snel vergeten.’’

"I felt i had the legs to pull everyone back".

Also:

,,Ik had ook nog wel de benen om te sprinten. Maar als Jasper zegt dat hij echt super is, geloof ik hem en is het aan mij om te rijden.

"I still had the legs to ride for a sprint. But if Jasper says he is really super than I believe him and it was up to me to ride for him"

Every part of the interviews I read on AD seems to point to the opposite. He was only a bit tired at the top of the Poggio because he had to close the gap to Pogacar. Although this to me was more to positioning than anything else.

It's his first race day, he was maybe 98% instead of 100% but still good enough to win. But he chose to ride for Philipsen which was likely the more safe option with Jasper saying he is good.

Lmao

A sprint after the Poggio is never a safer option than Van der Poel taking on Pogacar in the sprint. Philipsen only won because Matthews *** it.

 

[tobydawq]

Lmao

A sprint after the Poggio is never a safer option than Van der Poel taking on Pogacar in the sprint. Philipsen only won because Matthews *** it.

Yeah, hopefully the tiny winning margin over a not that great sprinter will make Mathieu more hesitant to convert himself into a domestique in a freaking monument in the future.

That said; they were caught before the finish of the descent, and Mathieu seemed to have enough to do following Pogacar. So he probably didn't back himself too much in the five-man group that emerged at the bottom.