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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Fin MajorCycling Journalist
Fin Major is a UK-based writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2024. He is the site’s main writer for FAQs and evergreen explainers and has written around 2,000 pieces for the platform. Alongside this work, he focuses on in-depth analysis and covers the biggest races on the calendar, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, providing clear context around performance trends, tactics, and key storylines.
In his reporting, Fin uses reputable data sources such as ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. Outside of writing, Fin is an active cyclist, which supports his practical understanding of the sport and its demands.
claps 3visitors 3
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Ernesto Maggioni - The president of the commissaires Mafia. It is getting evident that this guy is basically "Iamalwaysrightandyouarestupidsoiwontlistentoyou" kind of guy. So fire him so that he can be always right in his homeabstractengineer10-11-2026
- Somehow it has got into his mind that he is a GC rider. He is primarily a classics and stage rider who can perform on GC given his day. As a result he is wasting his time on TDF GC and once committed to GC you are too tired to do anything else.abstractengineer10-11-2026
- 🐐❤️Lozza09-11-2026
- This is such a black eye to women's professional cyclocross if this result remains. Marie Schreiber won this race fairly. This finish is not unlike others in cyclocross. Lots of moving around to get to the finish not to cut anyone off , but to generate a sprint on soft wide tires caked with mud and sand. This is not nearly the same as a road race between two riders sprinting to the finish on faster bikes and thinner firmer tires. The powers in charge need to use some common sense, reverse this result and remember this is Cyclocross not Road racing. Unbelievable. . .Zencycle09-11-2026
- Tis beyond your comprehension fine sir so best not to look on with blind eyes to THE GOATS greatness.
Brucegel09-11-2026 - McNulty winning was beneficial in ensuring the rainbow jersey would not remain winless
Front24209-11-2026 - Eccelente! That's 7 riders in total in Red Bull who come from the devo team, 8 if you include Lipo
Rafionain-Glas09-11-2026 - again, nothing is going to be resolved. it is a discussion board. I simply said I didn't see how MS impeded LBs sprint. the UCI doesn't care about my thoughts, and I am really not that emotionally invested in it.mij09-11-2026
- provoke change, lol. this is a discussion board. nothing is going to change by what I say here. just commenting that it didn't look like MS impeded Brand. beyond that not trying to go too deep.mij09-11-2026
- as excellent as maga rednecks chloe dygert (and quinn simmons)?Ketterechts09-11-2026
Loading
2 Comments