Teams & Riders The Pogačar - Van der Poel rivalry

[hayneplane]

Pogi will likely need to win something like a combo of PR and WC RR plus obviously some more races of this type, for equalling or surpassing peak season from Mathieu in terms of one day racing. If we compensate with stage racing then for sure Mathieu is not in the same league anymore. But that si not what this specific rivalry is all about is it.

Which season are you classing as peak season of MVDP because arguably it is 2023 when he won MSR/PR/WC but he didn’t win any other world tour level one day races.

2024 had RVV/PR double plus E3 along with podiums in WC and LBL although at no point in either race did he seriously look like winning the race.

2024 Pogacar had LBL/GDL/WC plus SB/GP Montreal

2025 Pogacar already has RVV/LBL plus SB with podiums in MSR and PR and highly favourable chances in WC and GDL.

2025 Pogacar has a huge chance of being the best one day season ever and is already high on the list.

You can argue relative prestige of the different monuments but I don’t think you can say that any season of MVDP is clearly better than Pogacars best season in one day races.

 

[CyclistAbi]

@hayneplane

That one indeed, the one Vélo d'Or was stolen from a classics rider although it was well deserved. So yeah, it will need to involve PR plus WC RR win for me, among others. Considering Pogi raced PR for the first time and only one rider could match him, others representing dead wood, i don't see a real problem involved in achieving that in the future. Then they will have to give Vélo d'Or to a rider that won PR and WC RR, among others. True revenge.

 

[hayneplane]

@hayneplane

That one indeed, the one Vélo d'Or was stolen from a classics rider although it was well deserved. So yeah, it will need to involve PR plus WC RR win for me, among others. Considering Pogi raced PR for the first time and only one rider could match him, others representing dead wood, i don't see a real problem involved in achieving that in the future. Then they will have to give Vélo d'Or to a rider that won PR and WC RR, among others. True revenge.

Velo D’Or pretty much by default goes to the Tour de France winner unless someone else has done something extraordinary not done in decades.

 

[Red Rick]

Velo D’Or pretty much by default goes to the Tour de France winner unless someone else has done something extraordinary not done in decades.

Nah, it's more like TdF is the tiebreaker in case there's not much difference, or if nobody truly has a world class season it goes to the TdF winner by default.

 

[Berniece]

Velo D’Or pretty much by default goes to the Tour de France winner unless someone else has done something extraordinary not done in decades.

Very true, like in 2022 /jk

 

[hayneplane]

Very true, like in 2022 /jk

If you include the years Armstrong won it but was then stripped of it then pretty much 50% of the years since the first award in 1992 saw the TDF champion win the Vélo D’Or.

 

[Peyroteo94]

Gilbert is an obvious winner (or even Boonen) without being a GT contender.
If Pogacar wins the Tour, he will win the Velo d'Or but that's just because he also wins a lot of important races like LBL and RVV.