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

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Jun 19, 2009
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Good training day!
Ride hard for the win, and even if that doesn't work out it sets JP up nicely with no pressure to ride until the end.
The weakest of sauces today. If he was confident he could take Wout, he goes to the line. He wasn't.
He probably knew he didn't have his best early enough after all of his recent racing. Throttling back and still staying in the break becomes your prime pro duty: let your very able teammate take the win if you're going to get beat. IMO if Wout could've dropped him he'd have tried harder to do that. Wout's on the rebound and knows better than overextend, get dropped yourself and provide a free path to what follows. His team did that several days before when Mathieu snuck one by...
 
Feb 24, 2015
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I like how you framed that—and it’s the typical thing we all tend to do with retrospective fantasies / wishes. We consider what if he did “x” or if “y” had happened but assume the other elements of a past event remain static. But if one could really go back and change one thing, it’s possible or likely other elements of that past change as well.
Not "possible or likely" but "definitely". Outcome we will still never know...
 
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Jul 27, 2023
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Everyone can see there is one area where MVDP might beat Pogacar - a sprint.
He wont loose a sprint against Evenepoel or Wout neither.
Assuming he also knows that - why does he pull even a single meter?
 
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Apr 26, 2023
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Everyone can see there is one area where MVDP might beat Pogacar - a sprint.
He wont loose a sprint against Evenepoel or Wout neither.
Assuming he also knows that - why does he pull even a single meter?
You can say that Remco can anticipate and if he get 50 m he is a nightmare to bring back, but I think that risking a Remco win is the only way for him to beat Pogacar.
 
Oct 15, 2017
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Everyone can see there is one area where MVDP might beat Pogacar - a sprint.
He wont loose a sprint against Evenepoel or Wout neither.
Assuming he also knows that - why does he pull even a single meter?
Im not entirely sure MVDP trusts his sprint that much.
 
Jan 31, 2021
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^ Exactly.

If he just sits on, Pogacar tries (and likely succeeds) to drop him on Taaienberg.
 
Jun 30, 2022
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I think he is aware, as are we, that it doesn't matter.

That said, I think today's performance bodes well for next weekend.
It‘s 6 seconds on the Kwaremont, if he didn‘t take a single pull, surely that allows him to at least go a bit faster, but it‘s of course easier to ride for second and say it was impossible to follow.
 
Jan 31, 2021
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It‘s 6 seconds on the Kwaremont, if he didn‘t take a single pull, surely that allows him to at least go a bit faster, but it‘s of course easier to ride for second and say it was impossible to follow.
Mathieu did what he needed to do to arrive at Oude Kwaremont with Pogacar. If he never takes a pull, Pogacar attacks every climb and the race is over sooner.
 
Feb 20, 2012
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By that metric, everyone's season is a disaster when they line up with Pogacar. He wins all the big races. MvdP won his 8th CX title this year and in this form is still the favourite for PR.
No. Van der Poel is the #1 favorite going into Sanremo and Roubaix. Losing both to Pogacar would be a lost season.

Vingegaard is 2nd favorite for the Tour, and will probably end up winning the Giro as well.

If Van der Poel doesn't win Roubaix he's the #1 biggest loser of the year.
 
Sep 6, 2022
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No. Van der Poel is the #1 favorite going into Sanremo and Roubaix. Losing both to Pogacar would be a lost season.

Vingegaard is 2nd favorite for the Tour, and will probably end up winning the Giro as well.

If Van der Poel doesn't win Roubaix he's the #1 biggest loser of the year.
Such an interesting take – biggest loser of the year. Completely disagree with the MSR status. Of course Pogacar is #1 favourite. He proved he is, last year already. Matthieu will take ParisRoubaix. I am not worried about it. Vingegaard will win the Giro because Pogacar is not there. Otherwise he wouldn't, which is my point, wherever Pogacar starts he tends to be the favourite, except Paris Roubaix. For now...
 
Sep 6, 2022
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He rode a very strong race, no shame in being second to Tadej.

In a world where Pogacar stayed in one lane and just did the modern traditional mix of grand tour racing and a few hilly classics we would now be saluting MVDP winning 5 RVV in a row.
yes most likely true.
 
Sep 6, 2022
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C'mon, you know MVP is not a random rider.
That is not what I said. He, together with all the other top dogs, simply are a tier below Pogacar. Today underscores that. So I don't understand the expectation that he should win a monument this year where Pogacar is at the start.
 
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Sep 1, 2023
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Mathieu was poor placed the first time up O.K., forced to ride the fastest up the hill. He of course spent a bullet there.
 

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