ANALYSIS: Mathieu van der Poel joins special list after Le Samyn win

Wednesday, 05 March 2025 at 09:15

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Mathieu van der Poel wasted no time in making his mark on the 2025 road season, claiming victory at the Le Samyn classic in what was his first road race of the year yesterday. The Alpecin-Deceuninck leader added yet another win to his illustrious palmarès, extending a streak that places him among the most consistent winners in modern cycling.

Nine straight seasons with a win

According to StatsOnCycling on twitter, Van der Poel has now recorded at least one victory in each of the past nine seasons. This puts him level with his long-time rival Wout van Aert, who is still searching for his first win of 2025 after several races, while several other high-profile names sit just ahead in double figures.

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The list of active riders with the longest ongoing streak of seasons with at least one win is as follows:

15 straight seasons: Diego Ulissi, Alexander Kristoff
13 straight seasons: Arnaud Démare, Sam Bennett
11 straight seasons: Alexey Lutsenko, Tim Wellens, Julian Alaphilippe, Primož Roglič
10 straight seasons: Dylan Groenewegen, Fernando Gaviria, Caleb Ewan, Mads Pedersen, Magnus Cort
9 straight seasons: Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert

Van der Poel’s name on this list reflects not only his consistency but doesn’t even take into account the fact he has been ruthless of the road too. While much of his winter was dedicated to cyclocross, where he dominated and won his seventh cyclocross World Championships, he has seamlessly transitioned back to the road, proving yet again why he remains one of the sport’s biggest stars.

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The Dutchman’s ninth consecutive season with a win dates all the way back to 2017, his second year as a pro. That year, he picked up his very first pro win on stage 2 of the Baloise Belgium Tour, in a year where he won 3 other races as well.

2025’s early winners

Of the riders on this list, only Kristoff, Bennett, Pedersen, Cort, and now Van der Poel have already secured a victory in the early months of 2025. This signals that some of the sport’s most seasoned winners are continuing to perform at a high level, despite a rapidly evolving peloton with talent coming from every corner.

For Van der Poel, this early victory could be an ominous sign for his rivals. With Milano-Sanremo, the Tour of Flanders, and Paris-Roubaix among his targets this spring, his ability to win straight out of the gate suggests he is already in strong form. Given that last year saw him claim back to back wins in Flanders and Roubaix, the rest of the peloton will be shuddering at the sort of performance he put in yesterday.

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Perhaps a certain Slovenian will be the only man up to the test with Van der Poel this spring.

What makes Van der Poel’s streak even more impressive is that he has achieved it in an era where cycling has evolved significantly. Riders like Kristoff and Ulissi, who top the list with 15 straight seasons of victories, built their careers in a different period, where long-term consistency was largely the hallmark of sprinters and stage hunters.

Van der Poel, by contrast, has done it while balancing multiple disciplines and often racing a limited road calendar compared to his rivals. Unlike pure sprinters such as Bennett or Ewan, who rely on consistent opportunities in bunch finishes, Van der Poel’s wins come in a wide variety of races, making his ability to extend his streak even more remarkable.

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And clearly, after yesterday, he is a bunch sprinter now too!

What’s next?

Van der Poel’s victory at the Samyn Classic suggests that he is already in race winning shape, and with several key targets on the horizon, it would be no surprise to see him add further wins in the coming weeks.

For now, the Dutchman continues to show why he is one of the defining riders of this generation, and with his win streak now extended to nine straight seasons, he has further cemented his place among the most legendary all rounders we have ever seen.

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