Adrie van der Poel on Mathieu: "He sets three goals in 2023, and he achieves those three goals…"

Mathieu van der Poel had the Tour of Flanders in his palmarès, and he set off for the first half of 2023 with three goals: Cyclocross World Championships, Milano-Sanremo and Paris-Roubaix. He's won all three, and father Adrie can only throw complements.

"I think the big point is that they have created a lot of peace around Mathieu," Adrie van der Poel told Wielerflits. "You also have to be honest. He must also have luck on his side, but you force luck and you do that yourself."

Alpecin-Deceuninck were in the right moves at all times throughout the race as van der Poel responded to Wout van Aert's initial attack, and then Jasper Philipsen and Gianni Vermeersch were two of the few riders managing to bridge across to the front. The sprinter resisted attacks from everyone, and with the duo holding their own on the bike in the crucial moments, they managed to always be ahead of the competition.

As Philipsen sprinted to second, van der Poel took a solo win. He ends his spring here, having also finished second at the Tour of Flanders and E3 Saxo Classic. "If he sets three goals in 2023, and he achieves those three goals… Who am I to say anything about that?” Adrie van der Poel concluded.