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

[jono]

All those armchair experts who like to complain that vdP doesn't do enough at the Tour must be full by now from all the crow they've been eating this year.

I don't think it's a matter of eating crow or settling an argument one way or another. He has spent a few years doing very little in this race

2021: Just as electric as this season, with a planned early departure for Olympics
2022: Ill advised Giro-Tour double attempt coming off of an injury winter. Ended predictably badly.
2023: Made little impression aside from leadouts. Word from the peloton was that he was doing intervals in the gruppetto as part of his prep for Worlds. Whatever he was doing it did work in the end.
2024: Similar to 2023, but the Worlds course was too hard for whatever he did or didn't do in the Tour to pay off.

One does also have to admit that the stages in the first part of this Tour can not have been much more favorable to a rider like Mathieu.

As is probably obvious, I'm a big fan. Glad to see him enjoying himself out there.

 

[dazaau]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1947540446353191297

View: https://x.com/AlpecinDCK/status/1947540446353191297


Crazy he is out of the tdf with pneumonia. Had a few stages yet to contest as well as potentially a green jersey.

 

[Nerlo]

Such a shame! One of the few bright spots of this tour. He deserved to fight it out for the green jersey

 

[jono]

Pneumonia? Or an early start on his MTB training?

(I know, this is cope).

 

[jmdirt]

Get well young man!

 

[Kwaremonster]

Unlucky. With the shape he was in he could've done a lot of damage on the remaining flat/hilly stages.