VAN DER POEL. FROM CROSS TO CLASSICS, ONE THOUGHT ONLY: WIN

CYCLOCROSS | 31/01/2025 | 08:20
di Francesca Monzone
2024 was an extraordinary year for Mathieu Van der Poel, but 2025 could be even more so, because for this absolute talent, the desire to win never stops.
In the past season, he conquered two Monument Classics: the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. He also distinguished himself by winning the E3 Saxo Classic and a stage in the Luxembourg Tour. He could have won Milan-Sanremo as he did in 2023, but reasoning coldly and seeing his teammate Philipsen in a good position, he decided to give up the chase towards the finish line, favoring his friend who, thanks to him, did not miss the sprint.
Although he failed to retain the world champion jersey in Zurich, Switzerland, the Dutchman still performed well, finishing third, behind Ben O'Connor and an unleashed Pogačar whom no one that day could have stopped. Among the road results to note are also second place at Gent-Wevelgem and third at Liège-Bastogne-Liège. But in 2024, the Dutch son and grandson of art, did not reconfirm himself world champion on the road, he still managed to win two rainbow jerseys.
The first at the World Cyclocross Championships in Tabor, in the Czech Republic, last February 4th and then in Gravel in Leuven on October 6th. In short, Van der Poel is the only rider capable of winning anywhere, without looking at the terrain or opponents, who can do little against his supremacy.
On January 19th, the Alpecin-Deceuninck champion celebrated his 30th birthday and in his palmares there are already 50 road victories, including six Monument Classics (3 Tour of Flanders, 2 Paris-Roubaix, 1 Milan-Sanremo), as well as a road World Championship and a Gravel title. Apart from these, there are the titles won in mountain bike and cyclocross: 6 world titles and three European titles in cyclocross and a European gold in MTB.
The winter season for Raymond Poulidor's nephew started dramatically: five races and as many victories in the short span of eight days from December 22nd to 29th, all with a precise and declared objective, namely the world championship. If he wins in France in a few days, MVDP would win his seventh world title and equal the record held by Eric De Vlaeminck, although in the off-road world there are rumors that the Dutch phenomenon wants to stop only when the rainbow jerseys become 10. Silent and smiling,
Mathieu does not like to talk about his family, especially about his grandfather Raymond, with whom he had a unique and special relationship. Dad Adrie always follows him, but keeping a certain distance, because Mathieu does not like being told what he should or should not do, whether he is about to face a cross or a classic. And in 2025 he will race the one-day races, those where the public arrives at the first light of morning to secure a spot roadside and applaud the greatest champions, will be his great objective.
The clamor of fans pleases him and gives him that charge that leads him to improve, even if on some occasions the lack of respect has unfortunately taken over: while passing near the barriers, some people have repeatedly thrown beer in his face. Acts that the Dutchman immediately denounced, emphasizing that during a race one must never endanger the safety of riders.
Mathieu's road season will once again start from Milan-Sanremo, the first Monument Classic, which he has already raced five times, finishing third in 2022 and first in 2023. Then there will be the Ronde van Vlaanderen, those Flanders that make the heart beat strongly, the great Flemish cycling festival, where victory makes you a semi-god in the land of cycling. The week after he will race Paris-Roubaix and then for subsequent races, such as the Amstel Gold Race, a decision will be made later, when the program up to the Tour de France will be finalized.
Until February, Mathieu Van der Poel wants to remain focused on cyclocross, racing a lot even if the first races of the season have demonstrated his clear superiority.
There have been some direct confrontations with Van Aert, the next will be at the world championship: "Wout and I are used to challenging each other: when he is in the race, it's like entering a familiar environment for me and I like when I can face him". The last world championship where they faced each other was in 2023 in the Netherlands, a few steps from the house where Adrie Van der Poel grew up. Mathieu had won and Van Aert, acknowledging defeat, listened silently to the Dutchman's words. "I am sure that one day we will find ourselves talking about our races" - Van der Poel had said -. "I think that together we have made this sport more beautiful and one day we will be able to tell what great things we have done".
On the grass and in the mud, Mathieu currently has no opponents capable of challenging him: his superiority is so clear that it seems impossible for anyone to try to keep his pace. In the head of the Dutch phenomenon is the road bike and those races that must absolutely be won, but in his heart is cyclocross and Mathieu has often confessed to finding road races sometimes boring. In reality, in the future of this guy there continues to be 360-degree cycling: whatever the terrain he will be called to measure himself on, it is certain that MVDP will race where he can have fun and above all make the public who wait for him roadside have fun, ready to cheer him towards victory. From tuttoBICI January issue

COMMENTI

Per poter commentare i post devi esser registrato.
Se sei giá nostro utente esegui il login altrimenti registrati.

TBRADIO

00:00

INTERVISTA

OSCAR TUTTOBICI. BONASSI, IL SECONDO OSCAR PER DIMENTICARE UN 2024 DIFFICILE E SOGNARE IN GRANDE

Anna Bonassi ritorna a calcare il palco degli Oscar tuttoBICI a due anni di distanza: nel 2023 l’atleta bresciana aveva trionfato nella categoria esordiente ed ora è pronta a prendersi il Gran Premio Mapei Sport dedicato alle Allieve. Una vittoria...

MERCATO

GROUPAMA-FDJ, HUENS FIRMA PER LE PROSSIME DUE STAGIONI

Prosegue la campagna di rafforzamento della Groupama-FDJ per la prossima stagione. Dopo gli arrivi di Clement Berthet e Bastien Tronchon dalla Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, la promozione dalla formazione Devo di Maxime Decomble e gli ingaggi di Ewen Costiou,...

PREMI

GIGLIO D'ORO, DOMANI IL GRAN GALA': PREMIATI CICCONE, CONCA, CRESCIOLI E BARTOLI

Saranno tanti i personaggi del mondo del ciclismo e dello sport protagonisti mercoledì prossimo 19 novembre al Gran Galà in programma nei locali del ristorante Carmagnini del ‘500 a Pontenuovo di Calenzano. Sarà la cinquantaduesima edizione del Giglio D’Oro che...

TUTTOBICI

BLABLABIKE, MAGRINI: «È UN CICLISMO CON TANTE TEORIE E POCA UMANITÀ. REMCO? SUBITO DOPO TADEJ, C'È LUI»

Alla presentazione del Tour of the Alps a Milano abbiamo chiesto a Riccardo Magrini di poter chiacchierare di ciclismo con lui per dieci minuti. Di minuti ce ne ha regalati il doppio, volati via tutti d'un fiato: il popolare commentatore...

NEWS

CIPOLLINI. «SONO IN OSPEDALE AD ANCONA, IL MIO CUORE HA BISOGNO DI UN CONTROLLO»

Mario Cipollini è tornato... in "officina" per far dare una controllata al suo cuore ballerino. È lo stesso ex campione toscano a darne notizia con un messaggio postato sulla sua pagina Facebook. «Ciao ragazzi. Ci risiamo, anzi ci risono. Questo...

NEWS

DAL TOUR DE LANGKAWI AL TEAM TERENGGANU, L'AVVENTURA DI KYFFIN CONTINUA NELLA SQUADRA MALESE

La stagione su strada è finita da un pezzo ed è il periodo degli annunci di mercato. Le squadre stanno completando il proprio organico e nella notte europea il Team Terengganu, squadra continental malese, ha annunciato l’ingaggio dell’inglese Zeb Kyffin...

EVENTI

ASSISI, UNA BICI BARTALI DEL 1950 DONATA AL MUSEO DELLA MEMORIA. GALLERY

Una bicicletta degli anni '50 a marchio Bartali e restaurata con un telaio e altri pezzi d'epoca, in dono al Museo della Memoria. La consegna si è svolta nel corso di un pomeriggio a cui hanno partecipato monsignor Attilio Nostro,...

MERCATO

LA JAYCO ALULA INGAGGIA LO SCALATORE BRITANNICO PICKERING

Nuovo arrivo in casa del Team Jayco AlUla: il giovane scalatore britannico Finlay Pickering ha firmato infatti un contratto biennale con la formazione australiana. A 22 anni, il ciclista britannico ha già trascorso due stagioni gareggiando e crescendo a livello...

MERCATO

TEAM MBH BANK - BALLAN - CSB - COLPACK. VERRE COMPLETA L'ORGANICO 2026

Alessandro Verre è il 21° corridore del team MBH Bank Ballan CSB Colpack per il 2026. Nato a Marsicovetere (Basilicata) il 17 novembre 2001, oggi festeggia nel modo migliore il suo 24° compleanno. Nel 2025 Verre ha sfiorato il successo nella tappa regina del Giro d’Italia,...

LUTTO

AUSTRALIA. ADDIO ALLA PARACICLISTA PAIGE GRECO, PRIMO ORO PARALIMPICO DEL PAESE: AVEVA 28 ANNI

La paraciclista australiana Paige Greco, medaglia d'oro paralimpica a Tokyo 2020, è morta ieri a causa di un "improvviso episodio medico" nella sua casa di Adelaide, nell'Australia Meridionale, come annunciato dalla sua famiglia in un comunicato diffuso dalla federazione ciclistica...