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

[Balthazar]

Always interesting to discuss the nuances of power output because it is such blanket term. Mathieu in an interview with Sporza at the start of the year said that power wise his best 30 min effort was in the E3 last year. At the end of the race on the stretch between the Tiegemberg and the finish line he averaged 460 watts.

I would guess that the gap that existed between Mathieu and Wout say 3-4 years ago in these kind of efforts, is no longer there.

He talks about his power output at 41:50.

 

[Axel Hangleck]

"Power is nothing without control" - a Pirelli advert from years ago.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Last E3 they rode against each other WVA won from MVDP and Pogi

that was not hte last e3, because last year they also raced eachother and VDP crushed everyone incl. WVA...who did crash stupidly, but only because he was desperate to get into VDP's wheel, after riding defensively the whole race. Ergo my point, he rides defensively vs VDP because he acknowledged the year before if he rides with VDP he gets crushed.

Also, 2 years ago he got dropped by Pogi and VDP on Kwaremont and only came back because of motos blocking Pogi's attack. He was the weakest of the three but also the fastest, so he won. But I wouldn't put that as a proof of him being more powerful or as strong, on the contrary. The proof was on the road

 

[Berniece]

that was not hte last e3, because last year they also raced eachother and VDP crushed everyone incl. WVA

Yeah, someone already mentioned that. I forgot, thought he was already out.

 

[KZD]

First race, first win, incredible acceleration.

 

[Peyroteo94]

Now compare this MVP with WVA. How can WVA beat this guy in 1 month? Both will improve significantly but their current shape is very different

 

[Unchained]

First race, first win, incredible acceleration.

And so far all last races, nobody can get a separation, MVP says he just saved his gas for the sprint.. and it worked!! Good chase by Belgian Champion!!

 

[Didinho]

Good start. That uphill kick is still something else.

 

[theyoungest]

Now compare this MVP with WVA. How can WVA beat this guy in 1 month? Both will improve significantly but their current shape is very different

MVDP should worry about Pogacar. That's the guy he has to beat. WVA is just a level below these guys.

 

[Salvarani]

Whole lot better start than Van Aert.

MVDP looks good.

 

[Peyroteo94]

MVDP should worry about Pogacar. That's the guy he has to beat. WVA is just a level below these guys.

His only chance is in PR since he doesn't want to race MSR.

 

[Balthazar]

His only chance is in PR since he doesn't want to race MSR.

It still saddens me to see Wout skip MSR. A rider of his skillset and caliber should always be on the start in my opinion. Totally understand him trying a different buildup but ride it anyway, who cares if its in the middle of a training camp. Get off the mountain the day before and fly in, next day ride the race and fly straight back. San Remo is the one races he can win against Pog and Mvdp without having to be stronger than them.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Now compare this MVP with WVA. How can WVA beat this guy in 1 month? Both will improve significantly but their current shape is very different

VDP has been ill as well after his ski vacation. Vs Van Aert who trained 30h that week

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

MVDP should worry about Pogacar. That's the guy he has to beat. WVA is just a level below these guys.

thats a fact, and Pogacar will be super hard to beat in RVV.

 

[jono]

VDP has been ill as well after his ski vacation. Vs Van Aert who trained 30h that week

As much as people were dumping on van Aert over the weekend, I think he'd also have had a pretty good chance of winning against this field today.

 

[Red Rick]

As much as people were dumping on van Aert over the weekend, I think he'd also have had a pretty good chance of winning against this field today.

Not if we're gonna claim Magnier is a great sprinter to beat and if we're gonna ignore he had to sit down after 3s of sprinting

 

[DaLong]

Not if we're gonna claim Magnier is a great sprinter to beat and if we're gonna ignore he had to sit down after 3s of sprinting

Also De Lie can’t be the greatest thing to exist and also be nothing to write home about.

 

[Barkintheeye]

I've read somewhere that Wout is more of a sugar burner, which could suggest that even during less intense efforts his power percentage resulting from glycolysis is higher than MVP's. This could affect him more during long classics, even with steady effort level. But it's all just speculation as we don't have detailed comparable data from both.

If correct that indicates a higher Vlamax which in turn makes your durability lesser. In principle you would like to run as much as possible on fat for every effort, which of course is not possible, but still.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

As much as people were dumping on van Aert over the weekend, I think he'd also have had a pretty good chance of winning against this field today.

the guy who got 2nd smoked Van Aert in Omloop. So idk

 

[Krzysztof_O]

Too bad MVP isn't racing Strade. It's all about peaking for monuments, which is understandable.

 

[kn0s]

the guy who got 2nd smoked Van Aert in Omloop. So idk

Not saying wva would have won, but the run in and sprint here is very different.

 

[Red Rick]

If correct that indicates a higher Vlamax which in turn makes your durability lesser. In principle you would like to run as much as possible on fat for every effort, which of course is not possible, but still.

Not really. They are different adaptations, often down to specificity of training. Pogacar dropped an effort on PdB that probably requires a VO2 max of >100 or something, yet there is precious little to indicate that he struggles with endurance.

I also think Van Aert's struggles are more down to anaerobic repeats and recovery than strictly fat oxidation.

 

[Peyroteo94]

As much as people were dumping on van Aert over the weekend, I think he'd also have had a pretty good chance of winning against this field today.

He was nowhere to be seen in Jaen

 

[Cookster15]

Not really. They are different adaptations, often down to specificity of training. Pogacar dropped an effort on PdB that probably requires a VO2 max of >100 or something, yet there is precious little to indicate that he struggles with endurance.

I also think Van Aert's struggles are more down to anaerobic repeats and recovery than strictly fat oxidation.

Not sure I follow this? As I understand (relative) VO2 max is desirable for climbers and grand tour contenders (like Pogacar and Vingegaard). But Vlamax (maximum rate of lactate production) is a more desirable attribute for riders with superior anaerobic power but at the cost of a lower anaerobic threshold (like Wout and MVDP).

 

[Krzysztof_O]

Not sure I follow this? As I understand (relative) VO2 max is desirable for climbers and grand tour contenders (like Pogacar and Vingegaard). But Vlamax (maximum rate of lactate production) is a more desirable attribute for riders with superior anaerobic power but at the cost of a lower anaerobic threshold (like Wout and MVDP).

I think Red Rick confused VO2max with Vlamax. Obviously high VO2max is very important to any kind of sustainable performances (from a few minutes to a few hours). High Vlamax indicates very strong anaerobic glycolysis, which is crucial to performances lasting i.e. a few dozens of seconds. As for Van Aert I didn't necessarily mean this but rather that his glycolysis contributes more at a moderate effort level (it's easily cleared by his aerobic engine but precious fuel is still used up).