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

[ChewbaccaDefense]

Just KILLING it, he is:

140

VAN DER POEL Mathieu

Alpecin - Deceuninck

1.46,60

49.019

 

[Berniece]

I watched the race, he got smoked. Ganna beat him. Pidcock beat him. Rick Pluimers beat him. He may be good this spring, but in any race where he is up against Pogacar, he will get smoked. Being "good" this spring won't be enough. This isn't a field of guys who only race cyclocross, or are coming off 2 major injuries last year. I think training with Zwift kids isn't the best training or something. He has been MIA so far this week, other than chasing down Ganna...which gained him what? 20th place. His TT was laughable.

He stated that he came to Tirreno to win stages...he ain't done that yet...

So we had 3 stages. A ITT which he didn't care about, a sprint stage and today where he was boxed in. But sure if you think he isn't in form at the moment, and won't win anything this spring, fine. The way I saw him racing in Samyn and here I have the feeling he'll just win MSR.

 

[jono]

MVDP had a pretty decent spring last year. How did he do at Tirreno then?

 

[Eddy Evenepoel]

I watched the race, he got smoked. Ganna beat him. Pidcock beat him. Rick Pluimers beat him.

Just got sligthly more smoked than Pogacar got in UAE tour stage 1. Even Aaron Gate and Lionel Taminiaux smoked Pogi. Very similar level of smokedness.

 

[Blanco]

I mean...except:

Top results​

• 9x
  stage Tour de France ('22, '21, '20, '19)
• 2x
  E3 Saxo Bank Classic ('23, '22)
• 
  Milano-Sanremo ('20)
• 
  Amstel Gold Race ('21)
• 
  Strade Bianche ('20)
• 
  Bretagne Classic - Ouest-France ('22)
• 
  Gent-Wevelgem ('21)
• 
  Omloop Het Nieuwsblad ME ('22)
• 2x
  GC Tour of Britain ('23, '21)
• 3x
  stage Vuelta a España ('24)
• 5x
  stage Critérium du Dauphiné ('22, '20, '19)
• 
  Points GC Tour de France ('22)

And now compare all this with 6 monuments + worlds. Can you see the difference?

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

He was boxed in. Look at the footage

On the last bit he had a clear path to the left. Look at the footage.

Also note: If he'd been strong enouth, he would have been in a better position. Just look at what Pidcock did.

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

Just got sligthly more smoked than Pogacar got in UAE tour stage 1. Even Aaron Gate and Lionel Taminiaux smoked Pogi. Very similar level of smokedness.

Pogacar wasn't supposed to win that stage...all they talked about during the coverage was how Mathieu was favored on today's stage. I guess they meant favored to get 20th place.

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

And now compare all this with 6 monuments + worlds. Can you see the difference?

Now compare Wout with 99% of the rest of the peloton. Can you see the difference?

 

[saunaking]

He was boxed in. Look at the footage

nah, blew his load chasing down Ganna, didn't have it the last 300m

 

[Berniece]

nah, blew his load chasing down Ganna, didn't have it the last 300m

That’s why everyone can see he was boxed in, and he also said it after the race.

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

...Day 4 of "When your best just isn't good enough"

 

[Berniece]

...Day 4 of "When your best just isn't good enough"

He finished before Ganna and Pidcock today, the others must then be even worse if we follow your logic of yesterday.

 

[AmRacer]

He finished before Ganna and Pidcock today, the others must then be even worse if we follow your logic of yesterday.

Both of them are, and should, be worse than Mathieu in this type of stage.

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

He finished before Ganna and Pidcock today, the others must then be even worse if we follow your logic of yesterday.

They were, but he still wasn't good enough to win. Ganna chased him down after he attacked up the hill, and Kooij smoked him. He put a clean set of wheels ahead of him. I was embarrassing how badly he got beaten. Must be humbling to him. He will never beat Tadej with form like that.

 

[Berniece]

They were, but he still wasn't good enough to win. Ganna chased him down after he attacked up the hill, and Kooij smoked him. He put a clean set of wheels ahead of him.

How weird that when someone tries to attack at 5km's from the finish loses the sprint against someone that sat in the wheel the whole day, and on top of that is by default the faster sprinter.

 

[jono]

Both of them are, and should, be worse than Mathieu in this type of stage.

In the end, it was a sprint stage, just like everyone would have predicted at the beginning, even if it didn't quite play out to expectations. It was a hard sprint stage, to be sure, but one where you'd favor a true sprinter like Kooij.

Perhaps MVDP might be disappointed that he couldn't maintain a gap with his attack up the hill but that's a big ask.

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

How weird that when someone tries to attack at 5km's from the finish loses the sprint against someone that sat in the wheel the whole day, and on top of that is by default the faster sprinter.

I agree with you. He lost. If Tadej had attacked on that last hill, nobody would have caught him. If you think Mathieu is strong enough, with this form, to beat Tadej, we definitely disagree.

 

[Berniece]

I agree with you. He lost. If Tadej had attacked on that last hill, nobody would have caught him. If you think Mathieu is strong enough, with this form, to beat Tadej, we definitely disagree.

I'm 100% sure that he's good enough to beat Pogacar. You are basing your conclusions on the peloton finishing with 50, and whatever the position of MVDP is in that.

 

[jono]

I agree with you. He lost. If Tadej had attacked on that last hill, nobody would have caught him. If you think Mathieu is strong enough, with this form, to beat Tadej, we definitely disagree.

At which race?

MVDP looks stronger in this year's Tirreno than last year.

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

At which race?

MVDP looks stronger in this year's Tirreno than last year.

With the way Tadej is riding, any race they are in together.

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

I'm 100% sure that he's good enough to beat Pogacar. You are basing your conclusions on the peloton finishing with 50, and whatever the position of MVDP is in that.

Like I said, we disagree.

 

[jono]

With the way Tadej is riding, any race they are in together.

Perhaps Tadej will be even more extra-terrestrial than last year and you are right. Then, of course, no other riders have a chance either and we might as well not watch cycling in 2025.

Otherwise, I see MVDP's strength relative to the rest of the peloton as the same or better as the past few seasons, based on what we're accustomed to seeing in the very early season.

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

Perhaps Tadej will be even more extra-terrestrial than last year and you are right. Then, of course, no other riders have a chance either and we might as well not watch cycling in 2025.

Otherwise, I see MVDP's strength relative to the rest of the peloton as the same or better as the past few seasons, based on what we're accustomed to seeing in the very early season.

He crashed and still rode the fastest Strade ever. MVDP may be ahead of everyone else, but he won't be ahead of Tadej, if Tadej keeps riding like he did last Saturday.

And I will say that I think Pidcock might just be able to hold Mathieu's wheel when it matters.

Wout? As much as I hate to say it, I agree with others in that I think we have seen peak Wout, and he is on the downside.

 

[Red Rick]

Average speed is so not a metric to gauge level or do we really wanna believe Cancellara would OTL Roubaix?

 

[tobydawq]

Average speed is so not a metric to gauge level or do we really wanna believe Cancellara would OTL Roubaix?

Sounds right. Weak rider.