An iconic finish at the 2023 E3 Saxo Classic 🤩 Tadej Pogačar, Mathieu Van der Poel and Wout van Aert breaking away together after the Oude Kwaremont was a spectacle for the ages 😍💪 📸 Getty Images ___________________ 🇧🇪 #E3SaxoClassic
Adrie van der Poel believes Mathieu will reach best form soon into cobbled classics: "He responded quite easily to Pogacar's attack"
CyclingThursday, 21 March 2024 at 14:00
The E3 Saxo Classic will mark the debut of Mathieu van der Poel at this year's cobbled classics, and will be an important day ahead of the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. Father Adrie believes that his form is already quite good, and discusses his role at Alpecin-Deceuninck.
“I don't think you can say it was bad in Milano-Sanremo. He responded quite easily to Pogacar's attack the first time. The second time he closed the gap," Adrie van der Poel told Wielerflits. "If you are not really good or not one hundred percent, then you will not close that gap."
A 10th spot is not reflective of the legs the World Champions showed in Sanremo, as he pulled in the chasing group over the final kilometers in order to favour Jasper Philipsen's sprint chances. Into the big races, the Dutchman will be aiming for victories, specially at Flanders and Roubaix - where he is the defending champion.
"But the E3 Harelbeke and the Tour of Flanders are different races. Furthermore, it is up to the team's performance manager to determine whether anything needs to be added, or perhaps it is fine as is," Adrie adds regarding van der Poel's schedule. "These are things I never actually talk about with Mathieu. He does his thing, what he has to do and what he is told to do. He likes to do that too. Those men are just looking forward to racing back.”
Having started his season very late and only racing one-day events throughout the spring, van der Poel will most likely prolong his racing stint all the way into Liège-Bastogne-Liège. The Ardennes are certainly in his aim for this year and Liège definitely will be a goal as it would be his fourth monument victory if he were to win.
“It is already known that he can participate in the Amstel Gold Race. Liège-Bastogne-Liège will be a different story. The weather there will be very decisive. The top favorites there will have to be a little less and he will have to rise a little above himself. But in the end, he did one run and won the sprint for sixth place. You never know," Adrie van der Poel concludes.
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