"A touch of genius... When he’s under pressure, he rises above himself" - Mathieu van der Poel showered with praise following history-making Paris-Roubaix hat-trick

Few riders have ever been as consistently strong at Paris-Roubaix as Mathieu van der Poel has over recent years. Last Sunday, the Dutch superstar made it an incredible, three successive victories at the 'Hell of the North', pushing back a strong fight from Tadej Pogacar to take the solo win in the velodrome.

Whilst some have pointed out Pogacar's late crash as the decisive moment of the race, Belgian cycling expert Michel Wuyts saw signs much earlier that victory would once again be heading to the king of the cobbles Van der Poel. “It was the perfect marriage of instinct and intellect. What he did at the end of the Forest of Arenberg… launching those repeated attacks there — to me, that was a touch of genius," Wuyts reflects on the latest episode of his Wuyts & Vlaeminck podcast. "Simply brilliant.”

“He prevented the race from regrouping, which meant no other group could sneak away. That’s exactly what he wanted — to keep control," Wuyts continues, explaining his point in more detail. "So he went on the offensive and broke away, taking only those he was willing to have by his side.”

This combination of almost unmatched ability and a real racing nous is nothing new for Van der Poel either. Wuyts has seen similar displays of his prowess many times over the years. “It’s his signature move: when he’s under pressure, he rises above himself. It happens every time," assesses the experienced Belgian. "Just look at last year’s E3 Saxo Classic — Wout van Aert got within ten seconds, but Van der Poel simply refused to crack. That ten seconds turned into a minute and a half.”

“This year’s E3 Saxo Classic against Mads Pedersen was the same story. Fifteen seconds, then twenty, then dropping back a little — fighting it out for twenty kilometres, and then the decisive break. Van der Poel never breaks. It’s happened seventy or eighty times in cyclocross against Van Aert. Van der Poel attacks, Van Aert pushes to close the gap, but he just can’t,” Wuyts concludes. “Let him trust his instincts — don’t burden him too much with things like Gravaa. He is Van der Poel: born for this craft, and someone willing to go through that double black wall of suffering. Make no mistake — he suffered in Paris-Roubaix.”