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

[Arvid Falk]

Horner moved MVDP to 5th place in his ranking, ahead of WVA. Why? Van Aert made some knucklehead moves in E3.

Horner is a funny guy.

 

[dazaau]

A puncture, an accident, everything can happen. You need to race in order to win.

Nobody thought Pog could win RVV in 2023.

Really? No one? After he came within a hair of dropping MVDP on the paterberg and was 4th in a two man sprint in his very first time in 2022?

 

[Balthazar]

Horner moved MVDP to 5th place in his ranking, ahead of WVA. Why? Van Aert made some knucklehead moves in E3.

Horner is a funny guy.

For an ex cyclist he really has some of the worst takes out there. I guess it comes down to him being American plus being a former GC rider but he has so little understanding of the classics and one day racing in general.

He also suggested that Mads should’ve waited for Ganna and together they would’ve caught mvdp. That is just not how these races work. When the favorites make their efforts, the best guys are always in the front. There is no waiting on teammates or whoever because everybody is destroyed.

 

[Blanco]

So, Mathieu is 3 out of 3 in one-day races this year. Will it be 5/5 on April 13th?

 

[Arvid Falk]

So what will MVDP do next sunday? Sit on Pog's wheel and trust he can follow him on Kwaremont and then try beating him in the sprint? And jf he can't follow, hope WVA or Mads is nearby so they togheter can form a strong chase. Or will he try a different strategy? What will that be then? Explode on Taaienberg to try to get a gap before Kwaremont? Or attack earlier with people like Pedersen, WVA, Jorgensen to isolate Pog from his doms and start rolling attacks on him, forcing him to chase?

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

So what will MVDP do next sunday? Sit on Pog's wheel and trust he can follow him on Kwaremont and then try beating him in the sprint? And jf he can't follow, hope WVA or Mads is nearby so they togheter can form a strong chase. Or will he try a different strategy? What will that be then? Explode on Taaienberg to try to get a gap before Kwaremont? Or attack earlier with people like Pedersen, WVA, Jorgensen to isolate Pog from his doms and start rolling attacks on him, forcing him to chase?

Only strategy he will try is follow Pog attacks. If he feels good enough try and counter final kwaremont/pater, if not, keep following and win sprint. If he drops, chase as hard as possible and never give up.

Pog dropped him in 2023 and gained max 30 seconds, but in the final 2km he lost time again. VDP always will keep pressure

 

[Berniece]

Only strategy he will try is follow Pog attacks. If he feels good enough try and counter final kwaremont/pater, if not, keep following and win sprint. If he drops, chase as hard as possible and never give up.

Pog dropped him in 2023 and gained max 30 seconds, but in the final 2km he lost time again. VDP always will keep pressure

And if there’s an opportunity he’ll take it. He’s not one to just stay and sit in the wheel the whole race.

 

[Peyroteo94]

Only strategy he will try is follow Pog attacks. If he feels good enough try and counter final kwaremont/pater, if not, keep following and win sprint. If he drops, chase as hard as possible and never give up.

Pog dropped him in 2023 and gained max 30 seconds, but in the final 2km he lost time again. VDP always will keep pressure

He was softpedalling in the last 300 m (very normal) like all winners do when they have a solid gap. If he is dropped, he will not comeback.

 

[AmRacer]

Only strategy he will try is follow Pog attacks. If he feels good enough try and counter final kwaremont/pater, if not, keep following and win sprint. If he drops, chase as hard as possible and never give up.

Pog dropped him in 2023 and gained max 30 seconds, but in the final 2km he lost time again. VDP always will keep pressure

So, Mathieu should have a Pedersen strategy 🤔

 

[Arvid Falk]

I think the data will decide which strategy MVDP will have. If he is stronger than 2023 and thinks he is in a better position to follow Pog on Kwaremont and/or ridning against Pog on the flat, he might take his chances riding like he did in 2023. Otherwise he might change it up. Exactly how I don't know.

 

[jmdirt]

I didn't see anything about people saying that he isn't gonna win without Pogi in the race.

In this thread, in the TP thread, in the MSR thread...

 

[DutchDynamite]

Its funny that mvdp wins almost all his races the same way pog did.... with brute force and being better than the rest

when mvdp wins its because his opponents are stupid and when pogi wins its because he is the goat....

 

[Berniece]

He was softpedalling in the last 300 m (very normal) like all winners do when they have a solid gap. If he is dropped, he will not comeback.

Yeah because MVDP was sprinting towards the line those last 300m

 

[AmRacer]

Its funny that mvdp wins almost all his races the same way pog did.... with brute force and being better than the rest

when mvdp wins its because his opponents are stupid and when pogi wins its because he is the goat....

Mathieu doesn't win GT's, MTF's and hilly TT. That's the difference.

 

[AmRacer]

noone is denying that......

these hardcore pog fans should give mvdp more respect, like pog himself do....
He can beat pog in races that suits him (he beats him more often than the other way around)

Does this make mvdp the better (road) rider? No, not at all....

And the topic about who is the better one day racer is dependent on what you prefer more- cobbles classic or versatility.
I absolut admire pog for his racing style and his versatility. He can can win almost every single race in the calender and he has the potential to be one of the greatest (maybe even the goat). But i think cobble classics are the pinacle of one day racing. So for me the best cobble rider is the best one day racer. If someone prefers versatility more, its totally understandable for me....

They are both great in their own. But the lack of respect only comes from some of the pog fans.... its absurd.

🤔
Pog is the best but Mathieu is better in races that suits him and he wins those more often and some Pog fans lack respect for that but cobble classics are the real one-day races?

 

[JoãoRamos]

🤔
Pog is the best but Mathieu is better in races that suits him and he wins those more often and some Pog fans lack respect for that but cobble classics are the real one-day races?

He only goes for races that suit him nowadays.

Not even Strade he wants to ride it anymore because he knows he is not the favorite.
If you are the best classics rider, you should line up even for the races that are not perfect for you, especially Monuments.

 

[Didinho]

Don’t think there haven’t been many top riders doing the 5 monuments every year. What’s even the point of that if you tried, even came close and now know you physiologically can’t win.

He won 6 out of his last 10 monuments (+WC), while being 2nd in de Ronde and 3th in Liege and a harder WC course. The other one he closed Pogi and helped his teammate win Sanremo.

 

[JoãoRamos]

Don’t think there haven’t been many top riders doing the 5 monuments every year. What’s even the point of that if you tried, even came close and now know you physiologically can’t win.

He won 6 out of his last 10 monuments (+WC), while being 2nd in de Ronde and 3th in Liege and a harder WC course. The other one he closed Pogi and helped his teammate win Sanremo.

Of the monuments that are suited for him, right?

 

[Didinho]

Of the monuments that are suited for him, right?

Read again the last part about Liege and WC.

What if Pogi does everything right in Roubaix and ends up in the 4th group minutes behind. Will he start every year again?

Just common sense that every rider wants to be at his best in the races that they can win.

 

[AmRacer]

Read again the last part about Liege and WC.

What if Pogi does everything right in Roubaix and ends up in the 4th group minutes behind. Will he start every year again

Just common sense that every rider wants to be at his best in the races that they can win.

Pogi will race PR until he wins or retires, he wants to win all important races.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Clearly Van der Poel should have been forced to ride Strade and Pogačar Le Samyn.

 

[KZD]

Don’t think there haven’t been many top riders doing the 5 monuments every year. What’s even the point of that if you tried, even came close and now know you physiologically can’t win.

He won 6 out of his last 10 monuments (+WC), while being 2nd in de Ronde and 3th in Liege and a harder WC course. The other one he closed Pogi and helped his teammate win Sanremo.

Actually Van der Poel is the last top rider that I recall doing the 5 monuments in the same season, 2020, yet some people want to make the argument that he is a coward when he doesn't even have the goal of winning all 5.

 

[AmRacer]

Actually Van der Poel is the last top rider that I recall doing the 5 monuments in the same season, 2020, yet some people want to make the argument that he is a coward when he doesn't even have the goal of winning all 5.

2020 was a strange season

 

[Salvarani]

2020 was a strange season

And half a decade ago

 

[Arvid Falk]

He only goes for races that suit him nowadays.

Not even Strade he wants to ride it anymore because he knows he is not the favorite.
If you are the best classics rider, you should line up even for the races that are not perfect for you, especially Monuments.

I think MVDP realizes that for him to be competative in Strade he need a proper build up which is difficult considering his CX ambitions, and he doesn't want to peak too early considering his main goals are RVV and PR.

MVDP himself has said that the level nowdays is higher than ever and that for him to win important races he needs to race fewer races and train more.