Teams & Riders The Pogačar - Van der Poel rivalry

[KZD]

The Pogačar- Vingegaard and Van der Poel- Van Aert rivalries get a lot of hype but for me this is the best one. Two of the best one day riders ever riding in the same era and sometimes even facing each other.

Both have one road World title and seven monument wins with Van der Poel having the upperhand in the head-to-head due to Sanremo. It will be fascinating to keep following their careers and hopefully we get a few more great battles, next in the Flemish cobbles.

I also think this thread could be useful to have some of the discussions that have been happening in both riders threads.

 

[rallybanana]

Head to head record in one day races since Worlds 2022

		MvdP	TP
06/04/2025	Ronde van Vlaanderen - Tour des Flandres ME	3	1
22/03/2025	Milano-Sanremo	1	3
29/09/2024	World Championships ME - Road Race	3	1
21/04/2024	Liège-Bastogne-Liège	3	1
16/03/2024	Milano-Sanremo	10	3
06/08/2023	World Championships ME - Road Race	1	3
02/04/2023	Ronde van Vlaanderen - Tour des Flandres ME	2	1
24/03/2023	E3 Saxo Classic	2	3
18/03/2023	Milano-Sanremo	1	4
25/09/2022	World Championships ME - Road Race	DNF	19

 

[Krzysztof_O]

@rallybanana I think you should add MSR'22, RVV'22, DDV'22, Strade'21, Liege'20.

 

[Stubb]

Ther's no rivalry, they are friend and it's clear they're helping each other when they shouldn't: Pogi after Poggio helping VDP on the flat, Vdp in Flanders working with the best climber in world on the flat parts and then half-pedaling when chasing with the rest. These two remind me of Sagan-Nibali, when they raced together in the classics they never really raced again each other.
So not a rivalry but a diarchy!

 

[Peyroteo94]

He said since WC 2022

 

[rallybanana]

@rallybanana I think you should add MSR'22, RVV'22, DDV'22, Strade'21, Liege'20.

I thought last 10 races was a nice round number. Plus the bad day at the office they both had in Australia illustrates how dominant they have been since. Plus I didn't want to do any more copy n paste.

 

[gregrowlerson]

Pogacar and MVDP (and Remco) have won 17 of the last 18 major one day races, 13 out of 18 for the main two protagonists, incredible domination.

 

[Tanakka]

The Pogačar- Vingegaard and Van der Poel- Van Aert rivalries get a lot of hype but for me this is the best one. Two of the best one day riders ever riding in the same era and sometimes even facing each other.

Heh, the Pogi-Vingo rivalry is well beyond 'hype' at this point, given that after 4 (consecutive, btw) 1-2s in the GCs they already hold the Tour's record.
Plus the oldest of the two is only 28y.o., and they currently stand at 2-2 (i.e. Amstrong vs Urlrich was a 3-0)

I don't remember whether they hold the record for most 1-2s in the Tour Stages, too.
Perhaps, but I don't remember for sure and I am not able to find said stat on the spot.

...

Mathieu van der Poel versus Wout van Aert | Same race results

Comparison of results between Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert in races where they both started.

www.procyclingstats.com

Yeah, I wonder where 'The Pogačar - Van der Poel rivalry' would fall in the rankings, number wise.
But:

1) Arguably the 1-2 criteria isn't as far as it is for GCs, 'cause, for example, at the latest MSR they did 1-3 but Ganna wouldn't likely have been as much of a factor for Pogi if MVDP wasn't there, and in the recent RvV it was 1-3 as well but, again, without MVDP it appears Pogi could've gone away alone before the last Kwaremont.
Therefore the podiums in one-day-races don't really tell you the whole story as much as the final CGs do (for the most part).
2) Are we considering only Monuments or all Classics?

It was surprised to discover that Boonen vs Cancellara have only one 1-2 in Monuments (RvV 2010, obviously) and no other 1-3 either.
They have two 1-2s at E3, though

Fabian Cancellara versus Tom Boonen | Same race results

Comparison of results between Fabian Cancellara and Tom Boonen in races where they both started.

www.procyclingstats.com

De Vlaeminck vs Merckx:
two 1-2s in monuments,
one 1-2 in other one day races, plus thee more 1-3s

Roger De Vlaeminck versus Eddy Merckx | Same race results

Comparison of results between Roger De Vlaeminck and Eddy Merckx in races where they both started.

www.procyclingstats.com

Pogi vs MVDP :
one 1-2 in monuments; three 1-3s in monuments
Two 1-3s in WC
A 2-3 at E3 when WVA won.

Mathieu van der Poel versus Tadej Pogačar | Same race results

Comparison of results between Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej PogaÄar in races where they both started.

www.procyclingstats.com

To be fair, two times MVDP got third (LBL and the latest WC), he didn't actually have a fight with Pogi, therefore it gets pretty tricky to weigh rivalries in classics by results alone.

 

[KZD]

8-8 in the monuments count after RVV and PR, Pogačar and Van der Poel just keep delivering otherwordly performances.

This Roubaix was the 7th monument in a row that one of the them wins and the last one which they didn't, Philipsen's 2024 MSR win had Van der Poel's contribution. Historical levels of dominance from them.

 

[AmRacer]

8-8 in the monuments count after RVV and PR, Pogačar and Van der Poel just keep delivering otherwordly performances.

This Roubaix was the 7th monument in a row that one of the them wins and the last one which they didn't, Philipsen's 2024 MSR win had Van der Poel's contribution. Historical levels of dominance from them.

Pog has LBL and Lombardia to win.

 

[Netserk]

8-8 in the monuments count after RVV and PR, Pogačar and Van der Poel just keep delivering otherwordly performances.

This Roubaix was the 7th monument in a row that one of the them wins and the last one which they didn't, Philipsen's 2024 MSR win had Van der Poel's contribution. Historical levels of dominance from them.

Three years since the last monument when one of them finished the race and a rival won, Paris-Roubaix 2022.

 

[ppanther92]

Pogacar and MVDP (and Remco) have won 17 of the last 18 major one day races, 13 out of 18 for the main two protagonists, incredible domination.

7 in a row in monuments

 

[Pantani_lives]

Yesterday I was hoping for someone else to win. It's hard to believe that someone as good as Pedersen can't win a monument. It has become next to impossible for secondary favorites to win a major race.

 

[CarterWinslow]

Heh, the Pogi-Vingo rivalry is well beyond 'hype' at this point, given that after 4 (consecutive, btw) 1-2s in the GCs they already hold the Tour's record.
Plus the oldest of the two is only 28y.o., and they currently stand at 2-2 (i.e. Amstrong vs Urlrich was a 3-0)

I don't remember whether they hold the record for most 1-2s in the Tour Stages, too.
Perhaps, but I don't remember for sure and I am not able to find said stat on the spot.

Mathieu van der Poel versus Wout van Aert | Same race results

Comparison of results between Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert in races where they both started.

www.procyclingstats.com

Yeah, I wonder where 'The Pogačar - Van der Poel rivalry' would fall in the rankings, number wise.
But:

1) Arguably the 1-2 criteria isn't as far as it is for GCs, 'cause, for example, at the latest MSR they did 1-3 but Ganna wouldn't likely have been as much of a factor for Pogi if MVDP wasn't there, and in the recent RvV it was 1-3 as well but, again, without MVDP it appears Pogi could've gone away alone before the last Kwaremont.
Therefore the podiums in one-day-races don't really tell you the whole story as much as the final CGs do (for the most part).
2) Are we considering only Monuments or all Classics?

It was surprised to discover that Boonen vs Cancellara have only one 1-2 in Monuments (RvV 2010, obviously) and no other 1-3 either.
They have two 1-2s at E3, though

Fabian Cancellara versus Tom Boonen | Same race results

Comparison of results between Fabian Cancellara and Tom Boonen in races where they both started.

www.procyclingstats.com

De Vlaeminck vs Merckx:
two 1-2s in monuments,
one 1-2 in other one day races, plus thee more 1-3s

Roger De Vlaeminck versus Eddy Merckx | Same race results

Comparison of results between Roger De Vlaeminck and Eddy Merckx in races where they both started.

www.procyclingstats.com

Pogi vs MVDP :
one 1-2 in monuments; three 1-3s in monuments
Two 1-3s in WC
A 2-3 at E3 when WVA won.

Mathieu van der Poel versus Tadej Pogačar | Same race results

Comparison of results between Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej PogaÄar in races where they both started.

www.procyclingstats.com

To be fair, two times MVDP got third (LBL and the latest WC), he didn't actually have a fight with Pogi, therefore it gets pretty tricky to weigh rivalries in classics by results alone.

I appreciate you taking the time to write it.

 

[Peyroteo94]

Heh, the Pogi-Vingo rivalry is well beyond 'hype' at this point, given that after 4 (consecutive, btw) 1-2s in the GCs they already hold the Tour's record.
Plus the oldest of the two is only 28y.o., and they currently stand at 2-2 (i.e. Amstrong vs Urlrich was a 3-0)

I don't remember whether they hold the record for most 1-2s in the Tour Stages, too.
Perhaps, but I don't remember for sure and I am not able to find said stat on the spot.

Mathieu van der Poel versus Wout van Aert | Same race results

Comparison of results between Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert in races where they both started.

www.procyclingstats.com

Yeah, I wonder where 'The Pogačar - Van der Poel rivalry' would fall in the rankings, number wise.
But:

1) Arguably the 1-2 criteria isn't as far as it is for GCs, 'cause, for example, at the latest MSR they did 1-3 but Ganna wouldn't likely have been as much of a factor for Pogi if MVDP wasn't there, and in the recent RvV it was 1-3 as well but, again, without MVDP it appears Pogi could've gone away alone before the last Kwaremont.
Therefore the podiums in one-day-races don't really tell you the whole story as much as the final CGs do (for the most part).
2) Are we considering only Monuments or all Classics?

It was surprised to discover that Boonen vs Cancellara have only one 1-2 in Monuments (RvV 2010, obviously) and no other 1-3 either.
They have two 1-2s at E3, though

Fabian Cancellara versus Tom Boonen | Same race results

Comparison of results between Fabian Cancellara and Tom Boonen in races where they both started.

www.procyclingstats.com

De Vlaeminck vs Merckx:
two 1-2s in monuments,
one 1-2 in other one day races, plus thee more 1-3s

Roger De Vlaeminck versus Eddy Merckx | Same race results

Comparison of results between Roger De Vlaeminck and Eddy Merckx in races where they both started.

www.procyclingstats.com

Pogi vs MVDP :
one 1-2 in monuments; three 1-3s in monuments
Two 1-3s in WC
A 2-3 at E3 when WVA won.

Mathieu van der Poel versus Tadej Pogačar | Same race results

Comparison of results between Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej PogaÄar in races where they both started.

www.procyclingstats.com

To be fair, two times MVDP got third (LBL and the latest WC), he didn't actually have a fight with Pogi, therefore it gets pretty tricky to weigh rivalries in classics by results alone.

I think Cancellara was second behind Boonen in PR 2009 or 2008

 

[proffate]

Yesterday I was hoping for someone else to win. It's hard to believe that someone as good as Pedersen can't win a monument. It has become next to impossible for secondary favorites to win a major race.

It feels like Pedersen is probably better than Sagan was and yet may retire with fewer major victories.

Sagan only had to beat GVA whereas Mads has to beat better riders just to get on a podium.

Then again if Sagan had real competition he probably would have stayed hungrier.

 

[SHAD0W93]

I think Cancellara was second behind Boonen in PR 2009 or 2008

2008
Boonen beat Cancellara and Ballan in the sprint.